Tracker Jacker Venom
by Tobi Grl
Summary: The Akatsuki have captured Sakura and she is holding onto some very interesting information that they want to get their hands on. A special serum is injected into her and she fights through the side effects, the Akatsuki members, and the pain that all of this causes her. Rated M for future chapters. ItaSaku/DeiSaku
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First off I want to say that don't worry, I'm not quitting on _Socialites _I'm just taking a small break. I'm having a slight writer's block with it as to where I want to carry on from it. I'll get back to it this weekend and have another chapter up for you on it this Saturday.**

**Second, I want to say that this story has NOTHING to do with The Hunger Games. I just had an interesting thought while writing this up and the tracker jacker venom from the movie fit perfectly here.  
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**So anyways, I hope you like this story. I'll be working on both this and _Socialites _so don't worry.  
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**Enjoy and leave me reviews. :)  
**

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"This should be about the right dose that you need."

A small vial containing a clear liquid was swapped between hands. Perfectly manicured with a dark purple coat of fingernail polish accepted the vial. Placing it between forefinger and thumb he swished the vial back and forth. The man that had exchanged the vial stared at his two customers. One was very tall. He had an odd color of skin, blue was it? Yes and his teeth were filed down to the point, so deadly. His beady eyes stared at him, his fingers itching to reach back for his sword. The other wasn't as tall or fierce looking in the face, but one look at his eyes and you knew something was up with that man. Blood red irises with a strange black symbol encircling the pupil made a shiver run down the man's back. They both wore the same outfit. Black with red clouds sporadically placed on the cloak. These men were dangerous, he knew that much. The shorter one pocketed the vial.

"Uhh…"

He watched as his precious merchandise was gone from sight. He wasn't going to just do this for nothing! His arm outstretched and he waved his fingers in a beckoning movement. Money, he wanted his money. The blood red eyes of the shorter man stared at his hand before looking back at him.

"Kisame, will you give the pharmacist his payment."

Said person smiled wickedly, his pointed teeth shining in the low light of the room. Finally, his sword would be happy. A strange chattering sound could be heard from the large item placed on Kisame's back. The pharmacist regretted his action. He should have just let them take the vial and be done with it.

"No! Please, don't!"

He cried out in anguish. The red eyed man turned and started to walk out of his store. The man named Kisame however brandished his strange sword. The bandages falling from around it and the chattering becoming louder.

"No! Nooooo!"

The sound of Kisame's sword coming to life was a sickly sound. Itachi had no need to stay and watch. He turned his back and exited the building. The sweet rustic smell of blood reached his nose even before the door closed. The sound of blood splattering made the hairs on his neck rise. He had killed before, don't get him wrong. But that doesn't mean he reveled in the moment like his partner did. When the deed had been finished his large companion emerged from the house, wrapping his sword in the white bandages once more. Kisame bore a large smile upon his face, happy from his killing.

"So, will that stuff work on the girl?"

The gravelly voice of his companion asked, his eyes trained on the spot that the vial was currently hiding in. Itachi's hand disappeared into his cloak and brought it back out. He turned it around in his hand. Such a delicate little thing. It was the only known serum that would make her talk, and they needed information, now. A little white sticker was taped to the side of the vial with back markings. Itachi squinted, trying to read it.

**Sodium Amobarbital**

**WARNING: **May cause nausea, thirst, hunger, drowsiness, blurred vision, anxiety, aggression, visual and hearing hallucinations, and increased sexual drive.

Itachi stared at the last side effect. Increased sexual drive? That was interesting. Either way, the drug was one of the most potent truth serums and he really had no more time to try and track down a different one. This would have to do. Quickly he pocketed it back into his cloak.

"Let's go."

And with that note, they were gone, leaving the scene of their crime.

Sakura started to come back to consciousness. What had happened? Where were Naruto and Kakashi? Why did her head hurt so much? The sound of water dripping into a puddle could be heard from a corner somewhere. She tried to move, but her hands were shackled to the ground. There was a little bit of leeway, enough to move her hands up to her face and wipe a sticky substance that was sticking to her temple. When she brought her hand back down she noticed it was blood. Dammit! What had hit her, or better question, who? She tried to activate her chakra to heal her wound, but nothing happened. Aside from her head wound she felt perfectly normal, so why the hell wasn't her chakra working? Her breathing started to increase as she realized she was someone's captive. A deep and dark chuckle could be heard. Where was it coming from? She tried to look around the dimly lit room she was in. There! In the corner of the room was a tall figure. They were leaning against the wall in a comfortable manner. Then his eyes opened, magenta irises glowing in the dark.

"Nice try sweetheart, but you won't have your precious chakra here. See that?"

A finger whipped out towards the ground and she looked. A strange circle had been drawn around her with what looked like some sort of star in the middle. She touched the lines. They were sticky, like they had just been painted. But wait, this wasn't paint. Sakura almost lost her stomach contents when she noticed it was blood.

"Ku ku ku! That's right! It's a chakra seal."

The man pushed himself away from the wall and started to walk towards her. She tried to back away, but her restraints only allowed her so much room. Her heart was pounding, wondering who this man was and what he wanted with her. Then he came closer to the small amount of light that was pouring into the room from the door that she could see his face. Grey hair was slicked back against his head, but he didn't look old enough to have grey hair. His magenta eyes peered down at her like she was a meal. A clink could be heard as he brought forth a three pronged scythe. A chill ran down her spine.

"What a delicate little prize you are!"

His pink tongue slipped from his lips to lick them. Sakura felt a cold chill run down her whole body. This man was sick, in more ways than one! She tried to scream out, but her scream was muffled by a cloth that she just noticed was around her mouth. He chuckled once more, leaning down and cupping her chin in his cold hand. She could smell blood upon him. Was it his blood? She didn't want to think about that right now.

"Why don't we have a little fun before—"

"Hidan."

Another voice broke off Hidan's sentence. He turned to see another man standing in the doorway. Blood red eyes stared him down. Quickly Hidan let go of the girl, straightening himself up and trying to look menacing to the other man.

"What the hell do you want? Can't you see I'm busy here?

He pointed down towards the girl and she gave him a disgusted look in return wanting to rip his head off.

"Leave the prisoner alone."

"Fuck off, Itachi! I never get to have fun!"

Itachi? Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief as she tried to make out the older Uchiha's form in the doorway. He started to make his way into the room, a glare in his eyes as he stared down the one known as Hidan.

"You don't scare me, asshole!"

Hidan spat the words out at the Uchiha, clearly standing his ground. Before she knew what was going on, a deafening shriek erupted from Hidan's throat as he fell to his knees. There was no kunai or sword sticking out of his body, but his eyes were wide, pupils dilated. She looked towards Itachi who had a blank look upon his face. As quick as it had happened, it was over. Hidan hit the floor with a thud breathing heavily.

"F-fuck…you…"

He croaked out as he picked up his scythe and stumbled out of the room. Sakura watched as he disappeared from the room, quickly turning her gaze upon Itachi. Now he was staring her down and she could feel goose bumps rise upon her skin. She wished he would say something, anything! The awkward silence was killing her. He took a step towards her and bent down. Those eyes…the Sharingan eyes. They were just like Sasuke's. Except when she stared into Itachi's eyes all she felt was death and fear. They scanned her, taking particular notice at the gash near her temple. He then reached down and unshackled her bindings and took hold of her wrists. His hands were warmer than Hidan's, but she still didn't like the feeling of him touching her, but she had no choice really. She stood as he did, following him as they walked out of the room. The blinding light hit her eyes as soon as she was out. She could hear the buzzing of the light fixtures above her. Everything was so damp and lifeless around her. They passed a few more doors, turning and walking into a large room with several people inside. All of Akatsuki were present. Her heart stopped.

"Hurry up Itachi, I have better things to do than sit here all day, hmm!"

A male spoke up. He sounded young, probably close to her age. Sakura took a look over towards him. He was sitting in a chair with his leg crossed over the other. His expression was that of boredom, but his piercingly bright blue eyes held something else as he checked her out. Wonder? Excitement? Then his lips quirked into a smile and she had to look away. She was then deposited into a chair, her hands being brought behind her and tied once more.

"Did you bring the serum, Itachi?"

A deep voice asked. Itachi pulled out a vial from his cloak and held it out in his hand. A dark figure emerged practically out of nowhere. The man was strange looking, Sakura thought. Bright orange hair, strange pale eyes, and piercings covering a large portion of his face. He walked towards Itachi and took the item out of his hand. A syringe was brought out from his cloak and he poked the needle into the vial, extracting a small amount of the liquid, then he turned towards Sakura. What was that stuff? It was a clear color so it could be anything! She tried to go through her mind, thinking back to her training as a medic nin. But she couldn't think straight, he was getting closer to her. She started to panic and tried to pull her hands from the bindings.

"Kisame, undo her bindings and hold her still.

The orange haired male requested. Kisame came up towards her, giving her a toothy grin as he produced a kunai and cut the rope around her wrists. He then wrapped his large arms around her torso and held her up. He was a large man and her legs dangled below her. The man with the syringe came towards her and grasped her forearm.

"Mmmmmmmm!"

She cried out into the cloth around her mouth. Asking for any kind of help here was a stupid wish. She was doomed to whatever was in that vial. But wait, she still had use of her legs. She lashed out at the man with her legs, growling in her throat. The man stopped as he witnessed her antics.

"Itachi, grab her legs."

The Uchiha reached out for her legs and she sent a quick kick his way, glaring daggers at him.

"What a feisty one, hmm."

"Back off you ponytail freak, I had my eyes on her first!"

Deidara and Hidan grumbled in the background, distracting Sakura for a second. It was all Itachi needed to grab hold of her legs. She screamed out once more, but to no avail. Tightness could be felt as the needle dug itself into the crook of her arm. The cool liquid seeped into her veins and a single teardrop escaped Sakura's eye. This was it. She was probably going to die, but she wasn't going to go down weak. She raised her head to the man with orange hair, giving him the darkest glare she could muster. He stared back with those pale eyes. Fingers trailed across her cheek as they pulled down the cloth.

"Mark my words, if I don't get the victory of tearing you apart myself just know that Naruto will. You can't defeat him; he will kill you after what you have done here."

Her words were dark, filled with so much malice. He said nothing, just stared into her eyes.

"The serum will take about three hours to start working. Place her back into the cell."

Itachi let go of her legs and nodded towards Kisame. She quickly started to kick out once more, trying to get a jab at anyone that got within range. She screamed out as she squirmed in the large blue man's arms. It was no use; she was as good as dead.


	2. Chapter 2

She was back in the cell. The dampness seemed to seep into her very soul. All she did was lay there, staring at the door. Itachi had come back once, placing a tray of food in front of her and leaving once more. She eyed the plate. Some sort of mush was in the center and a roll of bread sat on the side. She wasn't going to touch it. Could be poisoned, or Kami knows what else. She heard Hidan come back around at one point.

"Why the hell do I have to do this again?"

"Because, Leader said there needs to be a chakra seal outside the door since she has no restraints anymore, hmm."

"What the fuck? Why doesn't he do it then? I'm wasting perfectly good sacrifices to please his ass!"

"Just do it!"

It was Deidara. Hidan grumbled as he once again started his ritual to paint the seal across the door which creaked open. A blond head of hair peaked in. Sakura looked at him wearily. She didn't have the fight in her anymore to try and lash out. He was daring enough to actually sneak the rest of the way in. His sky blue eye scanned her body on the floor. The girl was curled up into a ball, her food untouched. Deidara sensed she just wanted to die here. What a waste of a perfectly beautiful girl. He took notice that she was staring at him. Albeit her eyes looked tired and a glassy film could be seen, but nonetheless, the viridian color of her iris caught his attention. Oddly enough it matched perfectly with the color of her hair, contemplating each other in a lovely mixture of colors. He bent down to get a better look at this masterpiece of a girl. Her eyes widened slightly and she quickly shot up into a sitting position.

"Whoa! Touchy aren't we?"

Sakura just stared at him. He had a crooked smile upon his lips. What was he in here for? She watched that bright blue orb scan her. She felt naked under his gaze and wanted to punch him. Probably a bad idea with Hidan right outside. One Akatsuki member was bad enough, but two was even worse.

"Deidara, what the hell are you doing? Get your ass out here, I'm done!"

Hidan yelled from the other side of the door. Deidara stood, giving the girl on last glance over.

"He won't kill you, hmm. They just want something from you."

The blonde gave her another smirk before leaving, the sound of both men's footsteps retreating down the hall. What did that mean? Sakura thought back to the liquid she had been injected with. If it wasn't some sort of poison then what was it? She had gotten her answer soon enough. After about a couple more hours Sakura was squirming on the floor, clutching her stomach. She hadn't eaten any of the food so why did she feel so sick? She was covered in a thin layer of her own sweat. Her body was trying to fight off whatever was in her body. Suddenly the door opened and Itachi and Kisame walked in.

"Well it looks like your serum is working, Itachi!"

Kisame chuckled deeply and Itachi stared down at the tortured girl.

"Get her."

Kisame just nodded and picked the girl up, slinging her across his shoulder. She definitely felt like she was going to hurl as she bounced against the hard back of the shark man. They made a turn into the room she had last been in. He plopped her down into a chair and tied rope around her torso.

"Hnn."

Sakura groaned out, her head lulling back and forth as she tried to settle her poor stomach. That man with the orange hair came out once more. She finally guessed he was the one they called Leader. What a stupid name, she thought.

"She's showing some of the side effects from the serum. Will this affect the outcome?"

He asked, turning towards the Uchiha.

"I do not know."

Leader just huffed, not liking the sound of that answer. He took hold of the girls chin and forced her to look at him. Her eyes were half lidded and she looked as if she was going to pass out at any second.

"Tell me, what is your name?"

"S-Sakura…Haruno."

Well that was a good sign. It looked like the serum was working after all, even with the side effects.

"Good, where do you live?"

"Village…Leaf…"

She started to lull again, her head swinging forward. Leader's eyes narrowed, he had spoken too soon. His fingers tapped her cheek, trying to snap her back to reality. Another groaned rumbled in her throat.

"What is the name of the current Hokage?"

Sakura just kept groaning. She quickly whipped her head out of his hands. She didn't feel good, couldn't they notice that? The man in front of her just kept talking, but his words were so muffled she couldn't make sense of them. Again he tapped on her cheek and she let out a growl.

"We aren't going to get anywhere with her like that, hmm."

Deidara watched as the girl's facial color went from pale, to a sickly green, and back to pale.

"You're right…put some more serum in her."

"What? Why would you do that, hmm?"

"Because, it's a drug, and like any drug, you need to have your body get used to it. Currently her body is trying to reject the drug. We need to give her daily doses so that her body instead will become addicted and we will achieve our desired outcome."

Deidara wondered what this was going to do to the girl. He had heard of over dosing and that could be a likely case here. Well oh well. If she was going to go out like that, it would probably be with a bang! He wanted to see how this worked out.

Kisame brought forth another syringe. This time, Sakura didn't try and act out. She was in too much of a daze to even try.

"Now take her back to her cell. Inform me of her condition within another three hours."

Itachi nodded and Kisame picked her up, carrying her on his shoulder and back towards the cell. Somewhere in between, Sakura had passed out.

The sound of the dripping from the water sounded odd. Sakura had woken up about thirty minutes ago and now she was oddly fascinated by the sound of the water dripping. As the droplet connected with the puddle of water upon the floor, the sound vibrated outwards, almost like an echo repeating itself over and over. She listened to the water drip in this fascinating way. So enchanted until she heard the door creak open, the sound also vibrating in the strange way.

"Has it been three hours?"

"Yes."

Sakura could make out the sounds of both Itachi and Deidara's voices, but they somehow mixed together, making a strange sound of effects. Both the men stared down at her and she peered up at them.

"Something doesn't seem right about her, hmm."

"I can see that."

Deidara stooped down, trying to investigate the state that the girl was in. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes half lidded once more. The color of her eyes seemed dull and faded. He reached out towards her. When his hand made contact Sakura cried out in pain. It felt like needles, hundreds of needles pricking at her skin. Quickly Deidara retracted his hand away.

"It's another side effect, she must be hallucinating."

Itachi explained this to the younger Akatsuki as he watched the girl beneath him curl up into a ball and whine. Deidara watched her with fascination.

"That's quite the serum you picked up, Itachi."

"Hnn."

The Uchiha leaned down, bringing out another syringe. They were to keep injecting her every three hours until the side effects were no more. Itachi took hold of her arm and she whimpered, her tired and sad eyes now looking at him in pain.

"Please don't…"

She croaked out the words. This was torture beyond her wildest dreams. No matter how much serum they put in her, she still would not crack, but the side effects were slowly killing her. She shivered as the needle dug into her skin once more.

"Let's go."

Itachi watched as the girl curled back into a ball, somehow thinking this would protect her. Deidara sat there on his haunches for a few more seconds, studying her before he got up and left. He was supposed to be a mass murderer. Killing anything and feeling no sympathy. However, this girl he witnessed somehow pulled at his heart strings. He could hear her whimpers as he walked down the hall, his chest tightening the whole way.


	3. Chapter 3

Itachi returned again after about three and a half hours had passed, he was alone this time. The young girl was sitting up, leaning against the wall, her hair covering her face from sight. He cautiously approached her, leaning down to observe her again. When she felt his presence before her she turned. She was expecting to see the bright blue hue of Deidara, but this time she gasped at who she saw.

"Sasuke-kun!"

She breathed out his name, so confused. At the sound of his younger brother's name Itachi flinched. Realizing she was hallucinating again he was about to leave, but her hand shot out and caught his sleeve.

"Sasuke…have you come…to save me?"

Her voice held so much pleading, so much hope. He shook his head and her face fell.

"But…why are you here? I don't—Itachi? You've come for Itachi, haven't you?"

The hair on Itachi's neck stood on end. Once again he shook his head and the girl gave him a confused look.

"Go to sleep, Sakura."

"No! Because if I fall asleep you'll disappear again. I can't take that, Sasuke. Please, just stay for a second."

She begged him, her hand clutching harder upon the sleeve of his cloak. He obliged, kneeling down in front of her.

"Sasuke, there is so much I want to tell you."

She looked at him with a sweet and loving emotion. Her hand reached out and brushed his cheek. Instinct wanted him to reach out and snap her wrist; it had been so long since he had been so lovingly caressed.

"Naruto would be so happy to see you right now, Sasuke. Kakashi too, you've changed so much. I need you to promise me something."

Her eyes searched his and she smiled.

"Just promise me, after you finish all this revenge. After you…kill your brother, promise me that you will come back. We all miss you so much. I think it's hurting Naruto the most. You were like a brother to him."

Itachi's brows furrowed, pondering the words this girl was speaking to him.

"I still love you, Sasuke, but I won't wait for you forever."

Her fingers brushed softly against his skin and some small part of him wanted to sigh from the touch. He closed his eyes, thinking of his brother. He had caused so much pain for his brother, and in turn to this girl. His eyes suddenly flashed open as he felt the soft brush of lips against his. Sakura had leaned in and kissed him. It was gentle, testing the waters, wondering if he would take the lead and kiss her back. The logical thing to do would be to break the kiss and walk out. But something about the way she kissed him. Something about her lips brought him to kiss her back. He pushed her back taking control. He could hear her sigh against his lips. Itachi pressed his tongue against her lips asking for permission and she granted him it. Her hands wrapped around his neck and some primal part of him came forth, his own hands roaming her body roughly, quickly. He broke the kiss, trailing small nips down her neck to her collarbone. The girl beneath him was breathing heavily, her hands disappearing into his hair and grabbing a fistful.

"Sasuke!"

She gasped out his brother's name and that's what brought him back to reality. She wasn't in her right mind. His thoughts returned to the sticker upon the vial. _Warning: May cause…hallucinations…sexual drive._ He quickly let go of the girl and she stared up at him through half lidded eyes. She reached out for him once more, but he turned and left her. Her sobs could be heard down the hall.

"What do you mean you forgot to inject her again?"

The Leader's voice was exasperated. Itachi didn't inject her with more serum the last time he was in the room. They were running out of time and they needed answers from the kunoichi.

"Fine, I'll do it myself."

He picked up the syringe and walked towards the cell they were holding the girl in, Itachi in tow. Hidan was sitting outside of the door, picking at some dried blood upon his scythe. Loud noises were erupting from inside the cell as he got closer.

"What's all that noise coming from."

Hidan looked up from his scythe, looking both the Leader and Itachi up and down.

"If I were you, I wouldn't go in there."

"You didn't answer my question, Hidan."

"Well, it seems our little spit fire is having another side effect."

Hidan sighed and opened the door to the girl's cell. Sakura had her shackles back on and was standing up. Her body was covered in sweat as she tried to pry her hands from the iron cuffs. The banging was from the chains, clanking loudly as she swung them around. She let out growls, grunts, and curse words as she tried her hardest to get free.

"LET ME GOOOOO!"

"I came around a bit ago and heard her cursing up a storm. She was pounding on the door so I caught her and chained her back up. She hasn't shut the fuck up since. I think she even became louder."

"Her wrists are bleeding."

Itachi pointed out and the other two males took notice. As Sakura tried to pull her hands through the cuffs a trail of blood slipped down her already red soaked hands. It looked like she had gotten past quite a bit of skin and was even cutting into muscle now. The Leader sighed angrily.

"When she calms down, take her to get her bandaged. I don't need her dying from blood loss."

He turned away from the scene quickly and stalked down the halls.

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Sakura screamed as she stared down both Itachi and Hidan.

"I like her."

Hidan smirked, eyeing the blood dripping from the girl and splattering upon the floor.

Sakura had passed out at some point from blood loss and when she awoke she was in a bright lit room. Much different than the dark and dank room she was in before. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. Everything was sterile, and she could smell the faint hint of anti-septic. Was she in the hospital? She quickly sat up. Was all of that just a dream? Happy tears started to stream from her eyes. She was back home, everything was fine. Lifting her hands to her cheeks to wipe away the tears, Sakura felt the rough texture of bandages around her wrists.

"What the…?

"You lost quite a bit of blood, hmm."

Oh no! A cold shiver racked her body. It wasn't a dream, everything was real and she was still part of the nightmare. Her green orbs flitted across the room and found the source of the voice. The blonde male sat upon a chair in a relaxed position, staring at her with that crooked smile.

"You hungry?"

"What?"

"I asked, are you hungry?"

Sakura stared at him in confusion. He made it sound like a normal thing to ask. Like they would walk out of here and go to Ichiraku's for some ramen and have a wonderful day. But since he mentioned it, her stomach growled in reply. She blushed slightly, turning away from the male.

"No, I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, I heard your stomach, hmm."

"Stop doing this!"

"Doing what?"

"Being…weird!"

Sakura looked at him now; her face registered something between fear and anger. In turn he cocked his head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting, I don't know, nice? Nicer than I thought most Akatsuki members would be."

"All I asked is if you wanted some food, hmm."

"Itachi just throws the food at my feet."

"Well I'm not that arrogant Uchiha, hmm! I, unlike him, have manners. Now, would you like some food?"

Deidara was fuming slightly. He didn't like Itachi, that much was clear. Sakura just blankly stared at him before nodding her head. He had disappeared and quickly reappeared with what looked like actual food. Sushi and a side of rice. Sakura's mouth started to water as she eyed the food, but stopped in her tracks as she reached out for the chop sticks.

"What?"

"How do I know this isn't poisoned?"

"Because I'm not stupid enough to kill you right here, hmm. After all, we did save you from killing yourself from blood loss. Why the hell would we waste our time saving you from imminent death when we could have easily watched you die?"

Sakura paled at his words. Yes, he was definitely a killer.

"And besides, Leader still needs you, hmm. He'd kill me if I killed you, and I rather value my life."

He pushed the food towards her, waving his hand.

"Eat, because I know you want too."

Sakura eyed him again, warily picking up the chop sticks. She kept her eyes on him as she picked up a piece of sushi and placed it in her mouth, chewing slowly. Deidara threw his hands up in the air. She still didn't think they were trying to kill her, whatever! He was about to sit down when Kisame, Itachi, and the Leader walked in.

"Well now it's a party."

Kisame announced with a toothy grin on his face. Sakura quickly dropped her chop sticks, suddenly losing her appetite.

"Let's get this over with."

Leader pulled out another syringe and Sakura's eyes widened. He started to approach her and she quickly flipped the tray in front of her at him, creating a distraction.

"Grab her!"

Leader growled out and the other members went into action. Deidara reached out for her and she easily evaded him, having him skid across the floor. Kisame growled as he stood in front of her, a large manly barricade. Sakura teetered back and forth, trying to make him lose concentration. She lunged, but felt a hand grasp her ankle and she hit the ground with a huff. Turning around she saw an angry Deidara with a bloody nose. His expression was maniacal as he started to drag her across the floor towards him. Bad mistake! Sakura kicked out, thoroughly breaking his nose for good. The loud crunch she heard confirming that. He let go with a groan, using his hands to cover his bleeding mess of a nose. That's when Itachi grasped hold of her wrist and yanked her up. She reached out to smack him with her free hand, but he caught it expertly. The dark pools of his eyes slowly started to fill with the blood red color of his Sharingan. Sakura quickly closed her eyes.

"Stop!"

Leader yelled, he didn't need Itachi burning her up into a pile of ash with his Mangekyou.

"Turn her around."

Itachi wrapped his arms around her torso and faced her towards Leader. She squirmed in Itachi's arms, trying to free herself, but he was too strong.

"No, no, no, no!"

She screamed out, flailing her arms around so that the Leader couldn't take hold of her. Tears pricked at the rim of her eyes. She didn't want to go through this again. The side effects of this drug were too much for her to bare. The prick of the needle stung her inner elbow and she bit her bottom lip in devastation. Here we go again, she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Three hours, another three hours and she wondered what side effect would take over this time. She had been returned back to her damp cell and this time with an Akatsuki member to guard her door. She knew Hidan was on duty this time. She could hear him curse at nothing, quiet, then curse loudly again.

"You're turn is up, Hidan. I'll take over from here, hmm."

"Fucking finally, thank Jashin! I have better things to do than babysit!"

She could hear as Hidan cursed a few more times, thanking whatever God it was he praised. Her new guard cracked the door open and poked his head inside. Sakura almost felt sympathetic for him for a second. He had a frown on his lips and two pieces of tissue stuck up his nostrils.

"You have any side effects yet, hmm?

He asked in a grumpy tone, obviously pissed about his nose.

"No, not yet."

Silence fell upon the two and Sakura squirmed. Maybe she did feel bad for him. After all, he was the only one here that was somewhat nice to her. He didn't poke her with needles, he didn't look down upon her like she was some useless life form, and he didn't try to have sex with her the moment she woke up in this ghastly place. He was alright, she guessed.

"I'm sorry."

Deidara looked at her with a confused look, his mouth slightly hanging open.

"Wait, what?"

"I said I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Your nose."

He stared at her for a long second and Sakura finally got a good glimpse of him. His hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail, a large portion of his bangs covering his left eye. That blue hue that was strikingly bright was staring at her. It was almost like she could sense a form or sadness there, just almost. He was quite handsome, she had to admit. What had been his purpose for joining Akatsuki? Sure enough he could have done better. Sakura started to wonder about his past, what had led him here. His form leaned against the doorframe.

"Guards usually aren't supposed to be in the cell with their prisoners, you know."

"Heh, I'm not scared of you. For one, there is a chakra seal on this door, preventing you from using any of it, hmm. And two, I think I could easily take you. Even with a hand tied behind my back."

He gave her another one of his famous crooked smiles and she frowned at his arrogance. Lifting herself up off the ground she walked towards where he was. Her chains clanked across the floor with her movement. As she approached, Deidara gave her a questioning look, his hand twitched next to the beige bag near his hip. Sakura's cuffs pulled against her wrists and even with the bandages on she felt a dull pain shoot up her arm. However, she didn't let that ruin her striking emotion. Daring him with a smirk, she placed a hand on her hip.

"Please, you may be Akatsuki, but you're no Itachi."

This made the blonde fume, his face growing red.

"Take that back!"

"Nope."

Suddenly he moved with lightning fast reflexes. Sakura didn't even have enough time to place her hands in front of her as a form of protection. Deidara had her pinned back against the wall, her wrists pinned to her sides as he glared her down. The smirk was wiped from her lips. She was defenseless against him, how could she be so stupid to provoke an Akatsuki member? His bright blue hue was now dark, full of anger.

"Take. It. Back."

He hissed out between clenched teeth, pressing against her wrists. It hurt, the metal digging through her bandages and the fresh blood seeping through.

"Make me!"

What the hell was she doing? Oh Kami! Why couldn't she just shut up? An evil smirk took over upon his lips, a chuckle erupting from his chest.

"Don't test me, hmm."

"What are you going to do? You can't kill me, you said so yourself!"

Deidara's smirk faltered, but renewed as he shook his head.

"Foolish little girl, hmm. You think you are so strong."

"I am strong! It's pathetic that you guys have to keep a chakra seal up. That just proves that you fear my strength."

Deidara growled at her, his body now pressing against hers, trying to dominate over her.

"You know nothing about true strength, hmm."

Sakura opened her mouth for a rebuttal when his lips slammed against hers. The kiss startled her and she just froze in place. What the hell? First they were fighting, and now he was kissing her? She could feel his lips roughly press against hers, his dominant side coming forth. She let out a growl and pushed him off of her. He stumbled slightly.

"What the hell was that for?"

He just smirked, that stupid, god awful, sexy smirk! Sakura started to fume and started to approach him. He caught her hand as she brought it forwards, ready to strike him. Possibly even give him another broken nose.

"Explain, now!"

"I don't need to explain myself, hmm."

They scrambled against each other for a second, hands slapping at each other trying to leave a mark. Deidara started to laugh. Not evil, like before, but a deep down sweet laugh.

"What are you doing?"

"Laughing at you, you look completely ridiculous, hmm."

"What? Damn you!"

She swatted at him again and he caught her hand with ease. Again he leaned in, placing his lips upon hers once more.

"Mmmmm!"

She muttered against his lips. His arms quickly enveloped her torso, trapping her arms to her side. She squirmed in his arms, but it was no use. He deepened the kiss, tongue pressing against her lips. Sakura wasn't compliant though, she wasn't about to fall for his little trick and she sealed her lips tightly. A small laugh escaped his lips.

"I guess you're right kunoichi. You really are strong, hmm."

What did he mean? He was testing her? Slowly his arms let go of her and he backed away. That smirk never left his lips as he turned, giving her a wink and then disappearing out the door.

Sakura had no side effects this time around. She was happy to know that, but her mind was still mulling over the actions between her and Deidara. He was a strange man. The door creaked open, Itachi and Kisame making their way into the room. She stared at both of them.

"It doesn't look like she's having anymore side effects."

Kisame's beady eyes squinted as he watched her. Take a picture, it'll last longer, she almost wanted to blurt out. Provoking Deidara was one thing, provoking Itachi and Kisame was just asking to be killed.

"Grab her."

Kisame smirked again, approaching her. She squirmed away from him and he grabbed her leg.

"Where you going, little fish? I won't bite…hard."

He laughed. His laugh wasn't as…sweet as Deidara's. His was booming and deep, sending a bad feeling through her body. She didn't put up any more of a fight as he slung her over his shoulder once more. What a bother this was. She could walk on her own…

"What's the status, Itachi?"

The Leader's voice could be heard as they made their way into the giant room again. Once again she was plopped down into the chair a rope placed around her torso.

"No side effects this time."

"Good, her body is accepting the serum. Give her another so we can get this started."

Shit! They were going to put more in her?

"Oh! Can Tobi do it, Leader-sama?"

A new voice asked enthusiastically. That didn't sound like a thing an Akatsuki member should be asking. Turning to her side she noticed another man besides Deidara, who was looking frustrated. This man was a little bit taller than Deidara and had an orange mask with a hole in the right side of the mask. Deidara shot him a dark look and the male shied away from the blonde.

"Shut up, hmm!"

"I'm sorry, sempai!"

Well that was…disturbing? A needle was placed into the crook of her arm as she was focused on the others beside her. She turned to see Itachi extract the needle, the liquid seeping into her body.

"Keep her here this time. We'll wait the three hours. Hopefully we will actually get somewhere."

The members sat around her and just stared. It was kind of weird, being watched by them like a hawk. She fidgeted in her chair. A couple minutes passed before the new male spoke up.

"Hey sempai."

"What do you want, Tobi?"

"Isn't that the same girl who killed Sasori-sama?"

"What? You don't know what you are talking about, shut up, hmm."

Sakura's heart sped up. Oh shit!

"He's right you know. This little fish took out the powerful Sasori. Who would have guessed?"

"What? No, that's impossible!"

"Stop trying to deny the truth, Deidara. It's not good for you."

Sakura wanted to kill Kisame right now. Could he have possibly made things any worse for her?

"Yeah yeah! I remember hearing about her. What a strong girl!"

Tobi yelped as he felt a hand smack him from behind his head.

"I'm sorry sempai!"

"Just shut up already, hmm!"

Deidara fumed, his body was tense now and he glared darkly at Sakura. She could feel the tension in the room growing. Deidara must have been close to Sasori if he was this upset about it. She took a glance at him and he shook with anger. Quickly standing he stalked out of the room.

"Great, you just pissed him off, nice going Tobi."

Hidan remarked seemingly bored.

"Aww, but Tobi apologized to sempai."

"Am I late?"

A voice questioned and footsteps could be heard as another new person came into the room. She looked to the side as he passed, taking Deidara's empty seat. Sakura felt a chill run down her back at this new man's appearance. He had a white hood like thing on, covering up a large part of his face, but the most striking part of him were his eyes. Red where there should be white and a piercing green.

"Welcome to the party, Kakuzu. Please, make yourself at home."

Hidan sarcastically remarked, making a wide and open motion with his hand and scythe like the whole room was his house and he was welcoming Kakuzu with open arms. He received a glare in return. Nothing was said after that. The only noises that filled the silence were that of Hidan's fingernails scratching against the surface of his scythe and Kisame biting his nails. Sakura's head started to spin filled with a feeling of lightness.

"I think it's starting to kick in."

Leader interrupted the silence as he approached Sakura. Everything went quiet.

"Tell me, what is the name of the current Hokage?"

"Tsunade-sama."

"Good, now who are your teammates?"

Sakura shook her head, trying to rid her mind of this foggy feeling. Her vision started to blur and she squinted, trying to make out the black blob in front of her.

"What?"

"Just answer the question."

"Umm…Kakashi-sensei, Naruto Uzamaki, and Sai."

The words seemed to just pour out from her mouth and she couldn't seem to stop them. A part of her mind was screaming at her, telling her to shut up, but another part was so diluted with the serum that the answers came to her lips once she heard the question. The Leader smirked in triumph.

"Perfect, where was your friend Naruto heading?"

"We were on a mission to retrieve a scroll from the Hidden Village of Sand."

"I see, what was contained in the scroll?

Oh no! She couldn't let this information out! She just couldn't! It would jeopardize their whole mission and even worse, she'd put both Naruto and her whole team at risk. The words started to form on her lips and she silently cursed herself in her mind. Quick! Do something to stop them from coming out! Quickly she bit down on her tongue. The pain was so excruciating, but it was the only thing she could think of doing to not let the information out. Her own blood started to fill in her mouth and she coughed, blood sputtering from her lips and soon spilling down her chin. There was so much blood.

"Dammit! Quick, stop the bleeding!"

The Leader growled out, clearly angered by her action. She had done it! The information was still safe and it would take a while for her tongue to heal for them to get any information out of her again. Perfect!

Hands grasped her bloody chin and made her look up. All she could see were the blood red eyes of Itachi. The black markings of his Sharingan started to spin and next thing she knew, she was unconscious.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So here is the new chapter! I apologize beforehand if you run into any mistakes, there might be a few. I had to write up a summons for one of the civil attorneys at work and it was LONG! My eyes were literally burning from staring at the screen from 8:00 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. Le sigh...**

**So Enjoy the chapter and leave reviews...or comments. Idk, FF has screwed up the review things.  
**

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"She should be fine now. She's lucky she didn't bite her whole tongue off."

The deep voice of Kakuzu started to wake Sakura from her unconscious state. She was really starting to get sick of passing out or being made to pass out.

"How long will the recovery last?"

"I used some special chakra infused stitches. I'd say a week, two at most."

Sakura could sense the Uchiha hovering over her. She had half a mind to fully wake up and claw out his precious eyes.

"She won't be able to talk for a while."

"I know."

"Bring her back to me tonight; I want to make sure the stiches are fine."

"Hnn."

Fingers brushed against her torso and strong arms lifted her up. Itachi carried her from Kakuzu's room and down the hall. Maybe if she just kept her eyes shut he'd—

"I know you are awake."

Well never mind, he was too damn good. Sakura's eyes slowly started to open and she looked up into the blood red eyes of the male holding her. Silence fell upon the pair and Sakura let out a sigh as he continued to carry her down the hall. Seriously, did they carry all their captives around here? She gave him a questioning look as she saw the door to her cell pass by them. After being here for…well she didn't know how long she had been here, but however long it had been she had gotten a pretty good layout as to where some things were. However, Itachi didn't answer her and they continued on. A few more doors passed and he stopped in front of one, here he set her down and pressed the door open. Somewhere within the sound of running water could be heard. It was a community bathroom, and it definitely wasn't the cleanest of all. Then again, what sort of sane person would clean the Akatsuki headquarters? Sakura walked in and flinched as she heard the water from one of the shower stalls turn off. Please don't be Hidan, please don't be Hidan! Sakura praised Kami, hoping that anyone other than the sick man would emerge from the stall. Deidara came out, a white towel wrapped around his hips and his long blonde hair sticking to his soaked body. Sakura couldn't help but eye him. He had a strange stitched up scar on his left breast. What the hell was that?

"What are you doing here?"

Sakura wanted to open her mouth and talk so badly. Possibly curse him out for being so rude, but Itachi answered for her.

"I brought her here. She needs to change; her clothes are covered in blood."

Looking down, Sakura noticed the state her attire was in. Tattered and torn, dried blood stuck to her skin and clothing. They even smelled awful. A mix between sweat, blood, and…she couldn't place the last smell and she really didn't want to.

"Why don't you let her answer for herself, hmm?"

"She cannot talk."

"Why not?"

"She bit her tongue to stop from answering Leader's questions."

Deidara stared at Sakura with wide eyes. She wondered what was going on in that blonde head of his, but he just shrugged, walking past the two.

"Whatever, don't steal all the hot water, hmm."

And with that, he was gone. Itachi gave her a little push on the back towards one of the stalls. She looked in and stared for a second, turning to see Itachi just standing there. What? Did he think she was going to undress in front of him? He wished! She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a defiant glare. He just blinked, still standing there. Sakura just rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

"If you are expecting me to leave, you are quite wrong."

Sakura stared at him wide eyed.

"I'm allowing you to shower, you should be grateful for that."

In a sense he was right. Most prisoners of anybody's would not have this sort of opportunity. The smell was really starting to get to Sakura and she turned to look back into the stall. With a huff she walked in and stripped herself of her old clothing. Peeking out she saw Itachi still there…weirdo. She threw her clothing at his feet and gave him a glare before closing the small glass door and turning the water on. The warmth of the hot water and steam relaxed her aching muscles. She just wanted to stay like this, standing under the water, but then Itachi had to go and ruin it. His fist pounded on the glass door. He said nothing, just reminded her that she was taking up time and water. Well at least she was able to get all the disgusting grime off her body. With that note, she turned off the water and once more peeked outside. Itachi turned and held out his hand, a small white towel hanging from it. What? That thing was barely bigger than a hand towel. How the hell did he expect her to cover herself? She gave him a look as if saying "you seriously don't think that's going to work, do you." His hand jabbed out at her once again. Oh, he was serious. Sakura snatched the towel with a grumble and closed the glass door once again, trying to find a way to cover both her top and lower half. She stumbled out of the shower, the towel barely covering her breasts. Keeping one hand across her chest and another tugging at the bottom to keep her ass from sticking out, Sakura looked towards the Uchiha.

"Follow me."

He announced and started to walk out of the bathroom. The cool air pressed against her damp skin and Sakura could feel a blush starting to take over her cheeks. She tried to stay close behind Itachi so that nobody walking past would get a look.

"That's some pretty harsh torture, Itachi."

A deep chuckle erupted from behind the two and Itachi stopped to turn. Kisame had a large grin upon his face as he stared down the kunoichi. In turn she blushed even more, pulling down on the poor towel. Oh Kami! Why couldn't she just disappear?

"Well at least you don't smell that bad anymore."

Kisame sniffed the air in front of him while he walked past, a chuckle still emanating from his large form. Did she seriously smell that bad? Sakura took a sniff of herself, but then noticed Itachi was walking down the hall. She took off after him as he turned into a door. It wasn't her cell that was for sure. The room was darkly lit, a bed in one corner and a desk against the wall. A candle flickered as the door swished open and a few papers ruffled from the breeze. Sakura cautiously walked in. Was this his room?

"Here."

Itachi held out a black shirt and pair of matching black pants. They were men's size though. She gave him an incredulous look.

"You have nothing else to wear."

Wait, what did he do to her clothes? Burn them with his katon jutsu? Probably, they did reek. She took them and held them to her chest. A blush formed over the bridge of her nose as he stared. She quickly made a circling motion with her hands towards him and he narrowed his eyes for a second before turning towards the wall. When she deemed the coast clear she quickly deposited her towel to the floor and slipped into the baggy clothing. Clearing her throat to let Itachi know that she was dressed, Sakura tried to make some modifications to the clothing. She rolled up the bottom of the pants so that they hung about midway down her calf, creating a sort of capris look. With the shirt she tore at the long sleeves. They ripped easily and she looked back towards Itachi who was giving her a glare. Right…these were his clothes. Well he gave them to her and what did he expect her to do? Stumble around in the baggy clothing? Hell no, they were hers now.

"Come."

His voice broke the silence and he walked out of his room, her in tow. Sakura noticed that his room was only two doors down from where her cell was. She looked back down the hall towards his room and silently thought of the bed that was there. How she wished she had one. The door to her cell creaked open and Itachi motioned with his hand for her to walk in. Reluctantly she forced herself in and looked back at Itachi. Just as he was about to close the door she cleared her throat once more to catch his attention. Making a motion with her hands she pointed towards her new attire and then looked back at him. With a sigh she gave him a thumb up. It felt silly and stupid, but she couldn't think of any other way to thank him for the small deed he had done.

"Hnn."

His head bowed slightly and he turned, closing the door with him. Itachi failed to inform her that the shower had been his idea. Leader had no idea what he had done and probably would have chastised him if he found out.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I can't tell who posts comments anymore, everyone pops up as anonymous. But I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews. I'd also like to thank...umm...well the Anonymous person who pointed out one of my grammar mistakes. Like I said before in my A/N my brain was literally mush last night. Fried from so many legal terms. I'm quite surprised I didn't have more mistakes.**

**Anyways, I'll post up the chapter for _Socialites _later tonight. I have a family reunion to go to T_T so yeah...  
**

**Enjoy and leave me lovely reviews!  
**

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After Itachi had dropped her back off in her cell, Sakura found that she was quite bored. She tried to busy herself by reciting texts from some of her medical books back home in her mind. It wasn't long before that too bored her. She then listened to the sounds that caught her attention. Hidan had passed by her room several times. He sure did have a large arsenal of curse words. Others had passed her cell a few times, although they never spoke, she could kind of make out who's footsteps belonged to who. Kisame's were loud. She knew this was Kisame because he would make a loud huff at times. Deidara had gone past once. His footsteps were panicked almost, like he was pacing back and forth by her door. Then he would growl under his breath and carry on. Itachi's were almost hard to hear. He walked so lithely that she almost couldn't hear him. However, he had checked in on her a few times and that is how she could sense his footsteps. Before she knew it, seconds had passed to minutes, and minutes had passed to hours. A very loud growl erupted from her stomach and she had to press her hands to her abdomen to quiet it. When was the last time she had eaten? Well she tried to eat that yummy looking sushi and rice Deidara had brought her, but the Leader had to ruin that by injecting her with more serum. Besides, she doubted she would be able to eat anything with the state her tongue was in. Carefully, Sakura stuck the tip of her tongue out of her mouth to inspect it. She didn't go far back when she bit, about midway she'd say. She tried to get a good look at the stiches, moving her tongue to the side to get a better view. They were thick; she knew that by the way they roughly scratched the roof of her mouth. She touched them. Dull pain throbbed in her tongue as she did so. Eating would be hard work and she wondered if she could request a sort of blended meal. Again her stomach growled. The door to her room slid open. She was so busy with her thoughts of food that she didn't even notice anyone was near. Itachi and Kisame walked in. She sort of wished Itachi had come alone.

"Come on little fish, time for your check up."

Kisame gave her a toothy grin, chuckling at his own joke. Sakura gave him a glare, obviously not finding it funny in one bit. He came towards her and she quickly stood and in return he gave her a questioning look. She didn't want to be carried anymore. Sticking her nose in the air she walked towards Itachi. Kisame chuckled again.

"Have it your way."

The trio walked down the hall. The thought of making a mad dash for it crossed Sakura's thoughts a couple times. However, she poked holes in her own plan. If she ran, they'd easily be able to catch up to her. She was so low on energy she'd be tired within seconds. Also, she didn't know the terrain of the headquarters well. This place could be a large maze for all she knew. Sakura was so busy checking out the place, trying to figure an escape plan that she suddenly stumbled over a rough patch in the ground. She let out a small squeak as she started to fall for the ground, shooting her hands out in front of her to catch herself. But she never hit. A hand held onto her shirt tightly, holding her halfway in the air. She looked to the side to see the hand belonging to Itachi. A blush formed upon her cheeks as he easily pulled her up, correcting her form. She wanted to thank him, but couldn't think of a way how. He never even allowed her the chance as both him and Kisame carried on down the hall. As they rounded a bend they came back to the room that she had been in a few times. It was the only brightly lit room in this whole damn place. The lights buzzed lightly and the smell of anti-septic hit her nose once again. Kakuzu was already there, leaning against a table.

"About time, I was beginning to wonder if you forgot."

"Nope, we got her right here."

Kisame's large hand pressed against her back, pushing her towards Kakuzu. His green hues stared down at her for a second before he came forth.

"Show me your tongue."

Excuse me? She almost wanted to blurt out. Oh right, he was the one that put her stiches in. But still, what a strange request. His eyes narrowed as she defiantly tightened her lips together.

"Don't make this hard on yourself, kunoichi."

His deep voice growled out and she took a step back bumping into Kisame's large form. He reached out for her and she quickly swatted at his hand. He growled once more.

"Kisame, restrain her."

"With pleasure."

Kisame's large fingers wrapped around her biceps, holding them taught against her body. She struggled to free herself as thin fingers roughly grasped at her cheeks, pressing against her jaw bone to force her to open up. She felt as the same fingers grasped her tongue, pulling it out of her mouth. The action sent new pain through the pink flesh, making tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

"They seem to be doing fine. However, the chakra has dispersed. I'll need to insert new ones."

His pointer finger pressed against the side of her tongue where the stiches began. The man started to mumble something under his breath and Sakura gasped as she felt the stiches slowly snake out of her tongue. How gross! As the last bit left, Kakuzu straightened himself back up.

"Keep your mouth open, or I'll make it stay open."

Sakura had no want to see how he would make that open so she obediently listened, letting her tongue hang out of her mouth. He turned around towards the table, fumbling with something then turning back around.

"Stay still."

His voice grumbled as he kneeled down and placed his finger against the open wound. She felt a prick as a needle dug into her sensitive tongue. She started to squirm again, the feeling very uncomfortable. Sakura closed her eyes tightly as she tried to fight against the pain of the needle weaving up and down through her tongue. After what felt like hours of excruciating pain, Kakuzu finished with a final tug on the stiches.

"There, those should last for the rest of the week."

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Kisame's breath pressed against the nape of her neck as he leaned down. She could almost feel his sharpened teeth against her skin, which made her shiver. Itachi brushed past her and Kisame pulled himself back to his normal height, pressing a hand against her back once more. They walked out of the brightly lit room and back down the hall. She knew they were probably taking her back to the cell, which she most definitely didn't want. She needed some food or she was going to pass out. But how does one ask for food when they can't talk? This would be a really great time for her stomach to growl loudly again, of course that wasn't going to happen though. Convenience wasn't in her deck of cards at the moment. Sakura watched Itachi's back as he walked, she needed to get his attention so she cleared her throat. Nothing. Again she cleared her throat and still nothing, he kept carrying on. She grumbled, quickly catching up to him and doing something she probably never thought she'd ever get to do. Her fingers brushed against his cloak and then grasped at the wrist underneath. Blood red eyes shot her a glare as they suddenly stopped. Even Kisame watched intently. Sakura gulped, wondering if he was going to kill her right there. Silence ensued as she stared into those deadly eyes. Quickly she cleared her throat again and pointed towards her stomach. Itachi's brows furrowed slightly. Really? The genius of an Uchiha couldn't figure out what she was implying? Sakura rolled her eyes as she now pointed to her mouth, then back to her stomach.

"I think she's hungry."

Thank Kami for Kisame!

"Want me to grab some food?"

"Yes, make sure Leader doesn't see you."

With that Kisame started off in the opposite direction of the two. Sakura now wished he'd return, the eyes of Itachi still staring her down. It was then that she noticed she was still holding onto his wrist. Her hand quickly let go and she broke the gaze between the two. Itachi didn't move even after she let him go, his eyes still wandering over the girls form. After a couple of grueling seconds he finally turned back around and started to walk again. Sakura quickly caught up to him. She wanted to know so badly what was going on in his mind. Did he regret killing his family? Did he still think of his brother? What did he think of her? She caught herself on her last question. What did it matter what he thought of her? He was an S-class shinobi. He was a murderer and a psychopath. Or so that's how she categorized him. They came up to the door to her cell and stopped. His eyes caught her again and she quickly turned away. It was so hard to look into his eyes. They were so much like Sasuke-kun's that it hurt. Not only that, but Kami only knows when he'd surprise activate his Mangekyou and fry her to a crisp!

"They didn't have much, so I snagged some miso soup."

Kisame stated as he came down the hall with a steaming bowl. The smell reached Sakura's nose and her stomach growled out for it. Great! Perfect timing! Stupid stomach…

"It will do."

Itachi stated as he reached for the bowl from Kisame. He took it and opened the cell to her door. Sakura walked in obediently. Right now she'd do anything to get her hands on that soup. She eyed the bowl, her mouth starting to water already.

"Sit."

She sat down quickly. Just give her the soup! Dammit she was so hungry! She kept her calm composure on the outside though while her inner screamed out for the food. Itachi carefully gave her the bowl and she accepted it. Once his hand left the bowl she took hold of the spoon and popped a large spoonful into her mouth. It was so damn hot! She yelped, almost dropping the bowl to the ground. Itachi gave her a glare for being so reckless.

"Heh, she's so hungry she can't even wait for it to cool down."

Kisame chuckled as he watched a blush form over Sakura's nose. She felt stupid, but she really couldn't help it. They practically starved her here and she just wanted some food. Itachi knelt down to her level and she felt intimidated.

"Let me see."

He didn't even have to ask what he wanted to see, she already knew. Unlike before, with Kakuzu, she actually gave in to Itachi. Her tongue slowly started to emerge and Itachi scanned it. It was a little redder than before from the hot substance, but the stiches looked fine.

"You need to be more careful. Impatience will get you nowhere."

Sakura stared at the Uchiha. That was probably the most she had ever heard him speak, but he was right, he was always right. She just nodded her head like a scolded child. Picking up the spoon she blew upon the hot broth for a couple of seconds before placing it in her mouth. It was warm, but not scolding hot like before. She let the liquid slide down her throat. It tasted so good! She carried on like this until it was all gone. She almost cried out as she looked into the empty bowl. She wanted more, but she knew better than to ask for more. Itachi's hand came into her view, palm side up. She placed the bowl in his grasp and watched as he stood up. Kisame gave her a toothy grin before Itachi pulled the door shut behind him.

"You know she's a prisoner right. You don't have to care for her well-being."

"Hnn."

Sakura had caught the words Kisame spoke, and even Itachi's one worded answer. A small smile crept upon her lips. Itachi may be a mass murderer, but he still had a soft side for pink headed girls.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Not too much to say here. Don't know if I'll update my stories till after July 4th, gonna have some fun. So I hope everyone has a good holiday.**

**Enjoy!  
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The week had slowly progressed. Sakura kept a constant count in her head as to how many days had passed. Kakuzu had informed that her tongue would take about a week to heal, two at the most. Today was the sixth day. Usually she couldn't make out the time of day, but Itachi had brought her three meals a day, the last meal obviously being dinner. With this she was able to count towards the days that would be the removal of her stiches, and also the continuation of the serum. She actually didn't want the stitches to come out because of this fact. Currently she was pacing the small room. Along with the three square meals a day, the Akatsuki hadn't chained her up anymore. They were becoming lax with her imprisonment. Allowing her to eat actual food that Itachi brought, not that nasty mush she got the first night. They even allowed her to take another shower at one point. This was a good opportunity for her to find ways for an escape.

The meals that Itachi brought her were always on a metal tray and she received a metal spoon to eat the meal with. For some reason they didn't trust her with a fork or knife yet and probably never will. However, she could try and steal the spoon and sharpen it against the cement ground in her cell and make some sort of weapon. She had quickly deposited of this idea mainly because Itachi always checked that the tray and spoon were in order. Damn Uchiha. Then there was the idea of taking off during the shower. The only place that had the chakra seal on it was her cell door. This meant that she still had use of her chakra out of the cell. She could easily use her hand signals in the shower stall and create some sort of diversion for Itachi and make an escape. But like her previous idea, she turned this idea down as well. Itachi never allowed her enough time in the shower to even think of the hand seals she would need to use for her escape. Also, getting past Itachi and his cursed Sharingan would be impossible, especially running out soaked to the bone. She'd surely slip and fall. Sakura finally plopped down upon the ground. All her escape plans completely useless. Just then her cell door opened and once again Itachi and Kisame came forth.

"C'mon, time to get those stitches out."

Kisame wagged his finger at her in a beckoning motion. For once he didn't have a grin and actually looked somewhat bored. Sakura stood and walked towards them, taking off down the hall. Something felt off about the two. Almost like they didn't want to be there. She pondered over this thought as they rounded the bend and came into the bright lit room once again. Kakuzu was already ready, his fingers tapping against the table.

"We better do this quick; the sealing is in a couple hours. I left Hidan to take care of the body so I could do this."

Sealing…a body? Sakura was then pushed forward by Kisame, not a word said from either of them. Kakuzu gave her a glare, wondering if she was going to be compliant this time. She opened her mouth for him, not really wanting to tangle with this off put group at the moment. He grasped her jaw rather roughly, jabbing his fingers inside her mouth and taking hold of the stitching. Again he mumbled something under his breath and Sakura shivered as she felt them snake out from her tongue. When the last bit was gone he stood up and looked towards Kisame and Itachi.

"She seems fine. Let Leader know that she'll be able to talk now."

Sakura quickly closed her mouth, feeling the rough scarring from the wound rub against the top of her mouth. It felt odd, but she knew it'd heal the rest of the way soon enough.

"I need to check in on Hidan."

With that said, Kakuzu brushed quickly past the group and was gone from sight. Kisame pushed against her back, sending her back down the hall from where they came. The whole walk Sakura wondered whose body they had and what sealing they were going to do. Her cell came into view and Itachi opened the door. She walked in and heard the door slam behind her. Now wasn't the time to think about the poor soul the Akatsuki recently caught. She needed to find her own way out of here and fast. The second they had the chance she knew they would start her back on the serum and retrieve the information they wanted. She started to pace the room once again, her mind working in overtime. Everything she thought of though was quickly brought down. It was so hard to work around the Akatsuki. They were strong and there were quite a handful of them to take on just her. Suddenly her cell door flew open and she jumped, startled at the intrusion.

"Get in!"

Hidan's voice growled and he pushed somebody into the cell with her. The person stumbled, but caught themselves. Quickly turning on their heel and running towards the door. It slammed shut and Hidan could be heard on the other side, laughing manically to himself.

"Stupid girl!"

Her new cellmate pounded on the door with their fist, growling. Sakura stared at the new person, wondering if this was the "body" Kakuzu had recently talked about. They turned around, their back pressed against the door. Then their eyes met. The new person was a female. She had long blonde hair that seemed to be pulled back. Her eyes were dark and she had a forehead protector on that signified she was from Kumogakure.

"Hmm? Who are you?"

The new girl's voice sounded a little confused as she took in the pink haired girl.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, yourself?"

"Yugito Nii of the Hidden Cloud Village. What do they have you for?"

"Well…I'm not entirely sure. But I have a hunch. I think they want information on a scroll that my team was going after."

"A scroll you say? What's so important about that scroll?"

Sakura tensed. She wondered if she could trust this girl and decided against it.

"Just…something."

"Heh, I understand. Trying to keep the mission a secret. It's alright; I won't be able to tell anybody. I'll probably be dead in a few hours anyways."

Dead? Sakura's eyes widened at this news.

"I heard some of the Akatsuki members talking about a sealing. Does that have anything to do with you?"

"You've got it. I'm the jinchuuriki for the two-tails."

"You're a jinchuuriki too?"

"Huh? I thought you said you were here just for some information?"

"Oh, I am. I mean…my best friend, he's a jinchuuriki too. He has the nine-tails sealed in him."

"Naruto Uzumaki, right? I've heard of him. Quite a strong kid."

Yugito smiled softly towards Sakura which sent a pang through her heart. She missed Naruto and wondered where he was right now.

"Hey Sakura, you tried to get out of here yet?"

"I've thought about it, but getting past all of them is kind of a hard deal."

"I can help you with that."

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. How could this woman possibly help her out? There was a chakra seal on that door so she couldn't even use the immense chakra that was built up in her body from the jinchuuriki. Yugito quickly moved from the door and walked towards Sakura. She reached for her hand and placed something rough and sharp there. Then her voice was just a whisper as she spoke quickly.

"The Akatsuki are going to take me to seal the jinchuuriki. All of Akatsuki will be there so nobody will be around to watch you. You understand where I'm going with this?"

Sakura tried to process all of this information, her heart quickening with each word.

"I'm giving you a chance to escape, don't waste it."

This girl…she was willing to give up her own chance of escape to help out Sakura. But why? She wanted to ask her, but the door once again flew open and Hidan walked in. His eyes narrowed as he stared down both of the women. He made a "tch" sound before reaching out and grasping hold of Yugito.

"Let's get this over with."

He pulled on Yugito's arm, dragging her out of the cell. But just before she disappeared she gave Sakura a wink. Silently she thanked this girl. What a heroic thing for her to do.

Sakura fiddled with the object that Yugito had given her. It was a file. She wondered how she had gotten it past Akatsuki. When she was brought here they had searched her entire being up and down. Well however she did it, she was a genius. This was her ticket out of here and she definitely wasn't going to waste it. Her heart pounded as seconds flew by. She needed to allow enough time for Akatsuki to set up the sealing. After about what she guessed was half an hour she went into action, her heart pounding against her chest. She approached the door and kneeled down about halfway where she guessed the doorknob would be. A bead of sweat trailed down her temple as she shakily brought the file up to the small crack in the door. Shoving the small metal piece through she felt it connect with something hard, the latch for the door. Her hand jiggled it back and forth, up and down, trying to pry it open. It almost felt useless, like the latch wasn't going to budge. She worked harder, feeling of anxiety taking over. Then she heard the soft click and the door budge slightly towards her. She did it! She actually did it! Sakura felt her heart start back up. But she didn't have time to revel in the moment, she needed to move!

Pulling the door open more she looked out. The halls were completely clear.

"Thank you, Yugito."

She whispered the words, giving the woman a silent prayer for her help. As she emerged from the cell she looked down both halls. Which way should she take? If she went—

"Dammit, I'm going to be late."

Sakura's heart suddenly stopped again. The sound of Kisame's voice coming down the hall from her right reached her ears just as he came into view. As he took notice of her he came to a stop. He was stunned into place as he looked her up and down. Then his facial expression changed to confusion. His eyes narrowed and his lip quirked slightly upwards, a "hmm" escaping. He couldn't seem to understand how she had gotten out, he was so very confused. Sakura wondered if she had time to form hand seals, but attacking him would be her imminent death. Time for plan B. She forced chakra into her legs as she bolted in the other direction of Kisame, a loud growl erupting from the man as he took off after her.

She was starting to panic. Her heart was pounding so hard against her ribs it hurt. Which way was the exit? Was there an exit? Her eyes scanned each door as she passed, wondering if it was her way out. The sound of Kisame catching up to her could be heard. She needed to pick a door, and quick. This one would have to do. She came up to a large door and pressed against it, falling into a dark room. Oh how very wrong she was! As she stumbled to a stop she felt all eyes turn towards her. She was in the sealing room. In the middle of the room was a large hand, fingers pointing up towards the sky and on each finger stood a member of the Akatsuki. In the middle of the hand a large blue bubble held a body floating in midair. It was Yugito and she was passed out.

"What the hell? How did she get out?"

Hidan exclaimed, confusion evident in his voice.

"Retrieve her."

All the Akatsuki members flew into action, jumping down from their designated finger and coming towards her. The sound of Kisame coming into the room could be heard from behind and she quickly scanned the room for an alternative escape. In the corner to her left was another door and her heart gave a leap of excitement. Again she forced chakra into her feet as she took off, pressing against the door and back into the dimly lit hall. She took off to her right, hoping that she would find her way out. As she ran she took a look back. Deidara emerged from the door just after her, his blue hue narrowing as he shoved his hand into a bag near his hip. Shit! He was going to use jutsu against her. Pain shot through her calves as she pressed on harder, trying to evade the blonde behind her.

Just as Sakura rounded a bend, she felt a force hit her in the side, hard. Her back slammed against the wall, the air being knocked from her lungs. Hands grabbed roughly at hers and pinned them above her head. Her head started to spin and she tried to make out who was in front of her. She could see the glowing red of the Sharingan, staring at her. Itachi's face held no emotion as he glared at his captive. He took hold of both of her wrists in one hand and Sakura could feel thin fingers trail across her neck and the roughness of his thumb, brushing across her lips. He then leaned in, his cheek caressing hers so softly. His own lips ran along the outer ridge of her ear and a chill ran down her spine. She gasped out so softly as she could feel his lips curve into a smile against her ear.

"This will only hurt for a bit."

He whispered, so softly, almost seductively. Sakura felt like she was already in a trance just from his words, her body felt numb, but she took notice as he slowly turned her head towards him. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he forced her to look at him. She stared into those emotionless eyes. Those pools of blood.

"Mangekyou Sharingan."

She heard the words escape his lips at the last minute. Her pupils dilated and a shriek erupted from her throat as she was thrown into total darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Alright, so I lied to you guys a bit. I didn't think I'd get this next chapter out today because I thought I was going to have some fun with my friends today. However, it's hot and humid and just plain disgusting outside. Even my friends pool felt like a hot tub. No, screw that, I'm staying in the A/C where I'm not melting like a poor ice cube. Might even get another chapter out tonight, I've got tomorrow off. :)**

**P.S. Idk if my profile has updated yet, but I had a friend on deviantart create a picture of ItaSaku's kiss from Chapter 3. If you can see my updated profile then you should check it out and her profile out. She does lovely work. ;)  
**

**Enjoy!  
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**WARNING: The following contains scenes of violence and may seem disturbing to a few people, be warned now.  
**

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Everything was so quiet, so painfully quiet. Emerald hues emerged from behind closed lids, scanning the surroundings. She wasn't in the Akatsuki headquarters anymore. She was in some place dark, some place deadly. Not only that though, but she was bound to a table. Her arms were stretched out above her head and her legs were pulled apart. Rope scratched against the skin of her wrists and ankles as she tried to pull them away from their current positions. She huffed from her failed attempt at trying to rid herself of the bindings.

"You won't be going anywhere."

"Itachi!"

Sakura breathed out his name as he emerged from the darkness. She started to struggle against the rope once more. It was clear what was happening to her now. She had read about Tsukuyomi in her many text books back home. Her heart suddenly sank to her stomach.

"You're going to torture me, aren't you?"

In response to her question, a kunai snaked out from Itachi's cloak. She stared at the smooth surface of the weapon, the sharp edge taunting her. A shaky breath wracked her body, her chest heaving up and down quickly as she took quick breaths. Itachi's arm reached out towards her, waving the weapon threateningly at her face, then slowly moving to her neck. She could feel his cool fingers brush against her neck, grasping hold of the collar of her shirt. Ripping could be heard and she looked down to see Itachi dragging the kunai down her shirt, all the way down to her waist. Her skin prickled as her torso was now exposed to Itachi. She could feel as Itachi gently dragged the tip of the kunai up from her naval towards the bindings around her chest. Oh Kami no! But he stopped right at the edge of the material. Then the tip dug into her skin. Cutting open the upper layers to produce a trail of blood in its path, but not deep enough to cut into muscle. Sakura's eyes shut tightly and as she screamed against the pain. He made a mark all the way down to the top of her naval. Her eyes then shot open finding Itachi, terror present in the soft green irises.

"For the next seventy-two hours you will be trapped in my illusion…"

"No, please…"

"I can alter time and space at my own will."

The kunai dragged across her skin once more, making a trail just below her bandages. Sakura groaned out in pain, her fists clenching together tightly. Several more times he cut up her stomach like this. The warm blood started to slither down her sides, dripping upon the table she was currently bound to. Her breathing was fast paced. How much more of this could she take? The cool touch of the metal touched her collarbone and her eyes flashed up to Itachi's. He held no emotion there, no pain for her and no sympathy. She bit her bottom lip as she braced herself for the pain. The sharp tip poked at her bone, dragging down and across her left breast. She screamed out once more. Hot tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, trailing down across her temples and disappearing into her hair. Her torture continued on like this for what felt like eternity. Blood completely covered her once milky skin. Thousands upon thousands of cuts trailed across her neck, arms, stomach, and the top of her breasts. Itachi placed the kunai gently against her cheek now and she tiredly looked at him with half lidded eyes.

"Seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds remain."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. Only a second had passed! But that was completely impossible! How! WHY! The sharp edge dug into her cheek.

"Noooooooooo!"

At some point Sakura had finally passed out and once she awoke she was in a completely different setting. Her arms were bound above her head and her waist was tethered to a pole that her back was pressed against. She quickly looked around for Itachi, wondering if he was still there. Of course he was, this was his illusion after all. But what was he doing now? A shadow started to emerge from a distance. She had to squint to try and make it out, but they were still so far away.

"Sakura."

The voice echoed and her heart skipped a beat. That voice! She knew that voice!

"Sasuke-kun?"

His form started to take shape as he came near. His ebony eyes were so calm, so sweet. Sakura started to squirm against the pole.

"Sasuke! Oh Sasuke!"

Tears started to steam down her cheeks and his hand reached out to brush softly across her jaw. She sighed from the tender touch. Then he leaned down. It seemed like he was going to kiss her. Oh Kami her heart was beating so fast. Slowly her eyes started to close, but she heard the most disturbing sound ever that made her blood freeze in her very veins. The sound of blood splattering. Her eyes flashed open as she felt something hot splash across her face. Sasuke's eyes were wide as he stared at her, and then dropped to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth.

"SASUKE!"

She cried out in pain, in anguish. There was a katana sticking from his back. It was Itachi! The katana slowly removed itself from his back and he groaned out, back arching.

"Nooo…please, don't!"

Sasuke's body fell to the ground with a thud. His eyes were still open, horror clearly present in those dark orbs.

"Why…why are you doing this?"

"To teach you a lesson."

"What!"

She cried out, but he didn't answer. Again the scene had changed. Sasuke's body was gone, but she was still trapped against the pole. What now? Her eyes quickly searched out for Sasuke again, to warn him.

"Sakura-chan."

"Naruto?"

Sakura's gaze stopped upon the blonde male, standing right in the middle of nowhere.

"Naruto! Get out of here! Don't just sit there, run!"

"Hehe, what are you talking about, Sakura?"

He giggled a goofy grin upon his face. Then his blue hues widened and Sakura let out a sob. The male looked down towards the middle of his chest. A bloodied katana edge was protruding out. He too fell to his knees.

"Nooo, Naruto!"

Sakura started to sag against the pole, she couldn't support herself anymore. Her own body was giving up. Itachi removed the katana from her friend and he fell face first to the ground, blood pooling around his body.

"Please, just stop. I can't take this anymore."

Everything around her went black once more, her mind spun wildly. The sounds of reality started to reach her as she started to come back.

"Well, well…it seems like Itachi used the Tsukuyomi on her."

Sakura inhaled sharply as her eyes flashed open. Itachi still stood in front of her; a trickle of blood fell from his left eye, trailing down his cheek.

"You know you are further deteriorating your eyes by doing that."

Kisame informed the Uchiha, who still didn't pull his eyes off the horrified girl in front of him. His fingers released their hold of her and she slid down against the wall, falling upon the ground with a huff. Her body was shaking violently as she stared blankly ahead.

"Shit Itachi, what did you show her in there?"

Hidan was breathing heavy from finally catching up to them. The questioned male didn't answer. He just kept his eyes trained on the girl beneath him.

"Does it matter? Anything that he creates in that damn place is awful, hmm."

Deidara's voice held a bit of anger as he gazed upon the frightened girl. He knew what the Tsukuyomi was capable of and he actually pitied the girl for having to go through it.

"Take her back to the cell and make sure you place the shackles back on. We don't need another interruption during our sealing."

Leader had walked up now. He took in the state of the girl, but thought nothing of it. Itachi did what he thought was right, and hopefully this would keep the girl in her place now.

Sakura didn't make a sound as Itachi picked her up and carried her past the other Akatsuki members. They traveled down the hall, her body still shaking in his arms. Everything was a lie? He didn't care for her one bit. No matter the good food or even the showers he allowed her, he would always be an evil man in her eyes. She hadn't even noticed that they were back in her cell, Itachi placing her gently down upon the ground. She did notice the cold feeling of the shackles as they were placed upon her wrists. The _clink _announcing her imprisonment brought her back to reality finally. Itachi was staring at her blankly.

"Why?"

Her voice croaked out. Even though she didn't cry out in the real world it still felt like her throat was hoarse.

"Why put me through that? The kunai I could take, but Sasuke and Naruto?"

The whole time she spoke she was staring at the wall on the opposite side of her, but now she turned to look at the man that had hurt her so much, more than Sasuke ever could.

"The two people I love most in this world. You had me watch their death, knowing I could do nothing for them."

She could feel the beginning of tears sting her eyes. All that could come to her mind right now was why. Silent sobs started to shake her body and she buried her head between her knees. Itachi made no move to answer her questions. The images he had showed her were to keep her in line. To show her that he could easily take control of her if he wished. Also, the sad part is, he took an easy on her in the Tsukuyomi. The illusion could have been much worse if he wanted it to be. He stood and walked towards the door, leaving a crying girl behind him. She had learned her lesson. She would never run away from him, because he would always find her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Not much to say here. All comfy in my A/C though, hehe. ^.^ Supposed to hit 100 tomorrow. That won't ruin my holiday plans!**

**Enjoy!  
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Sleep was an alluring idea to the pink headed girl. After enduring Itachi's Tsukuyomi, Sakura wanted nothing but sleep. Her body ached, muscles crying out in pain. It wasn't like she had done anything strenuous. Yet, everything about her wanted to just fall into the darkness that was slumber. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was blood though. If one looked at her they would take in the dark bags under her eyes, the bloodshot lines, and her body shaking slightly. One look at this girl and anyone could tell that she had been through hell. Time seemed to stretch onwards and the intrusion of Deidara had made her stir slightly. The male had looked upon her, almost with pity. His blue hues had to pull away quickly though. The girl's soul was slowly starting to deteriorate from her own body.

Naruto…Kakashi…where were they? Why hadn't they come for her yet? Surely her friend was worried about her sick. Yes, of course. He was outside, searching the woods up and down. It had to be! Silent tears fell from her eyes. But what if he wasn't? What if they had given up on finding her? Sakura closed her eyes tightly, pulling her legs closer to her body. She didn't want to accept that possibility. Tsunade would be infuriated by now. Sakura had been like a daughter to her. Would she risk the shinobi of the village to track her down? The feel of fingers pressing softly to her cheek brought her out of her thoughts, gasping slightly from the touch. She looked up through watery eyes to see those damned Sharingan eyes gazing down upon her.

"No!"

She yelped out softly. Her body moved rather quickly, her back pressing hard against the wall. Did he want to torture her again? Why couldn't he just leave well enough alone? His hand reached out towards her and she whipped her head away from him, breathing heavily and pushing against the wall even though she could go no further. If only the wall would just swallow her whole. Making her disappear from him, anything to just get away! A strangled noise sounded in the back of her throat.

"Sakura."

His voice called out her name, whispering so sweetly to her. Slowly she turned to glance at him, expecting to see those blood red eyes spinning. The look he was giving her startled her. Beautiful obsidian eyes were fixed upon her, an endearing smile tugging just barely at his lips.

"You're…smiling…"

The words were more for her than him. Was it even possible for an Uchiha to smile? It had to be, he was right in front of her, pearly whites peeking out at her behind those thin lips.

"Sa…ku…ra."

His voice purred out her name making her inhale sharply. What did he want? She watched intently as he brought up his arm, fingers stretching outwards towards her, calling her. The index finger tantalizingly beckoned her forward. She placed the palms of her hands upon the ground and cautiously crawled towards him. Those eyes, so pure, so unthreatening beautiful. She reached out towards him, wanting to feel the warmth of his skin. Where her fingers should have brushed his cheek, they fell through. Marring his perfect face and beginning to evaporate right in front of her.

"What?"

Her voice held confusion and fear. He wasn't real? Once again she tried to caress the misty apparition that was his cheek and he turned to a thick black smoke. It started to engulf her and her breathing hitched. Her body felt like it was falling into eternity. Fingers clutched out at darkness, trying to grasp hold of something, anything! She splashed into some sort of liquid at the bottom. It was a thick liquid, sticking to her skin like slime. Heart pounding, breath coming fast, she paddled out in front of her. Something bumped against her outstretched fingers. Land? She grasped the item, pulling it towards her. It was cold and solid. There was some sort of cloth around it. Searching more, her fingers fumbled against what felt like hair.

"Oh Kami…"

She took a shaky breath as her fingers brushed across the face. It was Sasuke's face. The rough jawline, sharp nose, silky hair confirming that.

"Noooo…"

The liquid around her splashed slightly. Sakura squinted, waiting for her eyes to try and adjust to the darkness. Her heart stopped dead in her chest. Bodies floated around her. Naruto, Kakashi, Tsunade, Ino, villagers from the town. The smell hit her then, the sick sweet smell of blood. She was swimming in all of their blood.

"Whyyyyyyy?"

She wailed out, flailing around in the liquid to try and rid herself from the dead bodies around her.

"Sakura, Sakura?"

Frightened emerald hues finally emerged. She let out another wail, pressing against the person holding her.

"Get away from me!"

"Ahh, Sakura, stop it!

Her hand slapped at him. Itachi?

"Stop the illusions! Stop them!"

"What? Sakura, there are no illusions. You're not in the Tsukuyomi anymore, hmm!"

Deidara? Her body stopped wriggling. His arms were wrapped around her torso tightly. So close, he was so close to her. The soft brush of his hair against her cheek tickled. He was real. Wasn't he? Her hands shot out and grasped his cheeks in his hands. His blue hue registered shock, but he made no move to let her go.

"You're…real?"

"Of course I am, hmm. Sakura, what's wrong? I was walking past and I heard you screaming."

"I don't know…I was just…I don't know…"

She then began to sob in his arms. Deidara's body tensed against hers. He didn't really know how to deal with crying, especially from a girl like Sakura. He could feel as she curled up against him, fingers grasping roughly at his shirt.

"I can't sleep, I can't eat. Everything doesn't make sense anymore."

What should he say? Everything will be fine in time? No, he couldn't say that. It had been awhile since Deidara faced Itachi's Tsukuyomi and it even took him a long time to come back to reality. His blue hue gazed down at the broken kunoichi. Her body was shaking less now since he was holding her.

"Deidara…?

He almost didn't catch her call his name out. She had whispered so softly against him. To give her an un-verbal answer he tensed his arms around her to let her know that he was listening.

"I'm so messed up. He ruined me."

The tips of his ears started to flame. He knew who she was speaking of even if she didn't speak his name. Itachi. The Uchiha did ruin her. Tortured her very being, possibly even sending her to her own death. Not many people came out of Itachi's Tsukuyomi unscathed. Most fell into a delirious state. Not being able to figure out right from wrong and in the end died. He couldn't let that happen to her. She deserved better than this. His fingers trailed softly across her arm and she flinched only slightly, but quickly relaxed back in his arms. She was only supposed to be used for information and then disposed of. However, Deidara couldn't help but feel something for this girl. She was strong, trying to escape Akatsuki unseen and nearly getting away. She even had a defiant attitude at times. Which surprisingly matched well with his own. A smirk pulled at the corners of his lips. This girl, this kunoichi, she was something else. Soft breathing could be heard from the girl he held onto so tightly still. Had she fallen asleep?

"Sakura?"

She didn't answer or move. Yes, she was definitely asleep. He should go and let her catch up on so much needed peace. Just as he released his arms from around her she stirred. Fingers clutched tightly at his shirt again, tugging. Her breathing hitched once more and exhausted emerald orbs peered up at him frightened once more.

"It's okay, you're fine, hmm."

"Don't leave."

Her voice and eyes were pleading and he stared into those beautiful green irises. How could he say no to those? Without saying anything he gave her a nod. She gave him a sad smile in response and turned in his arms. To make her more comfortable he laid down upon the cement ground with her. His right arm outstretched as a sort of makeshift pillow for her and his other casually slithered around her waist. Her warm back pressed against his chest as she cuddled into him. It didn't take long for her to finally pass back out. The ground was definitely uncomfortable compared to his own bed, but he wasn't about to bring that up to Sakura. He could feel at her left hand grasped out towards his wrist. Fingertips pressed softly across the skin of his right hand, wrapping around the thin bone. It seemed to comfort her to hold onto him. Again a soft smile pulled at his lips and his own agile fingers softly brushed the skin of her arm. Well it was just one night, he could deal. And with that he laid down pulling her against his chest possessively.

"What the fuck?"

A sharp toe dug into Deidara's back, angrily waking him. His side hurt and his right arm felt like it wasn't even there.

"Hmm?"

Sleepy eyes looked around, finding pink hair staring back at him. He almost jumped up in confusion, but then quickly remembered what had transpired last night.

"Get up, dammit!"

Hidan's foot struck him once more. Deidara growled and swatted out behind him with his free hand.

"Screw off!"

"Oh really? You want me to screw off so you can screw her some more?"

Deidara tensed at his words swatting out at him again. His antics caused the girl curled up against him to stir.

"W-what's going on?"

Her body lifted from the ground and she turned to her side to see the young blonde Akatsuki member's chest practically glued to her back. Emerald hues narrowed as she took in him and then Hidan behind him. Both men stood still, watching, waiting for her reaction. Eyes widening immensely, she pushed away from Deidara who held up his arms in defense in case she lashed out at him.

"What the hell?"

"Sakura calm down, hmm."

"Did you rape her?"

"What?"

"No, no, Sakura, listen to me."

"Damn, you dog."

"Shut up Hidan, hmm!"

Sakura's large eyes quickly scanned both men as they bickered back and forth. She pressed through her foggy brain, trying to bring up the actions of last night. Then it dawned on her. Finally she had gotten some sleep last night. It was all because of Deidara. He had comforted her last night and stayed with her.

"Go to hell, Hidan!"

"Already there, fuck face!"

"Stop!"

Sakura yelled out at both them and they turned to look at the girl.

"Deidara didn't touch me last night. So shut up!"

Hidan looked taken aback by her words. A little Leaf ninja girl yelling at him wasn't usual. Deidara stood with a smirk. That was why he admired her. Talking back to Hidan definitely made his morning.

"I just want to be left alone right now, please leave me."

"But—"

Hidan tried to interject, wanting to tell the girl off right back and possibly even threaten her, but Deidara's hands pressed against him pushing him out of the cell.

"Just leave her alone, hmm."

"What are you two doing?"

The calm voice of Itachi sent a chill down Deidara's back. How long had he been out here?

"Just scolding this knucklehead for sleeping with the prisoner."

WHAAAATTTT? Deidara's mind was reeling; he could already feel the tightness of Itachi's katana slicing through his chest. Oh he knew it was coming! Why did Hidan have to be such a damn idiot?

"No no! I was just—"

"Don't try to apologize, Deidara. She's going to be dead soon anyways. Might as well have fun with her."

The grey haired male gave the blonde a dirty smirk, sticking his tongue out and walking away. Now he was all alone with Itachi. He looked towards the Uchiha who had a rather strange look upon his face. His jaw was tight and he glared the younger Akatsuki member down.

"I'm…just gonna go, hmm."

Staying around would definitely be the death of him. With a quick turn on his heel, Deidara briskly walked down the hall, leaving Itachi's presence.

The Uchiha couldn't seem to figure out the strange feeling the welled up inside of his chest when Hidan spoke of Deidara's nightly actions. However, he never let the feeling show upon his face. Quickly he masked it with an emotionless glare, pressing the feeling deeper into his subconscious to mull over later. His head turned to the side to stare at the door to Sakura's cell. Should he question her? His hand reached out towards the door, but stopped short. No, he didn't want to know. With that he continued down the hall, that strange feeling already gone and forgotten.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This chapter is pretty long. Sorry about that, I had a lot to tell.**

**Enjoy and leave me reviews, please. :)  
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What had transpired last night with Deidara was just a mistake, a silly mistake. Yeah, she could just keep telling herself this over and over and soon enough her mind and body would accept it…right? She was tired and he was comfortable. Yup, makes perfect sense! Sakura quietly brooded to herself in the corner of her cell. It wasn't like her to just give in that easily, and to an Akatsuki member, nonetheless. It wasn't just Deidara that had been bothering her either. Strangely enough, Sakura couldn't get her mind off Itachi, and the hallucination she had of him. The two men were entirely too much for her to deal with right now. They were damn criminals! At that moment one of those men opened the door to her cell and walked in, a big blue man in tow. Sakura's whole body tensed. She didn't want to see him right now, or ever for that matter.

"Change."

Was all that he said, throwing her normal attire at her feet. She stared at the clothes in bewilderment. They were clean of all the disgusting blood that had been caked on it. Although they still had cuts and tears everywhere they were at least wearable. Her boots, shirt, shorts, skirt, and even her gloves were all intact. But wait? Where was her forehead protector? She picked up the clothes piece by piece and shook them, trying to find the red band.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

Kisame was the one who answered, his brow lifting slightly at her question.

"My forehead protector. I had it when you…captured me. I want it back."

"You really don't expect us to give you that thing, do you? Two Akatsuki members walking around with a girl from Konoha. For one, we don't need the extra eyes staring, and two, do you really want word to get back to your village stating you've been seen walking around perfectly fine between two Akatsuki members?"

Kisame gave her an evil smirk after he stated all of this.

"But if you want it so bad."

A red ribbon flew her way, landing on the cement with a _tink! _When Sakura picked it up she was horrified at what she saw. The metal plating with the Konoha symbol etched in the middle had a crudely drawn line scratched all the way across.

"What the hell?"

Sakura growled out between gritted teeth, throwing the protector down and standing quickly. Itachi glared at her and Kisame just gave a dark chuckle.

"Calm down, kunoichi. You won't need it anymore."

"Get dressed; we are leaving in a few minutes."

Itachi announced and walked out of her cell with Kisame. Leaving? Where were they going? As she quickly changed back into her normal clothing her mind went wild. If they were leaving the headquarters this would be a good chance for her to escape again! Out in the open she would easily be able to escape them! Stupid Akatsuki! Just as she was pulling on her last boot, Itachi walked back in with a cloth in one hand and rope in another. Shit!

"W-what are you doing with that?"

He didn't answer, but instead approached her. She scooted back on the ground until her back met with the wall, her heart pounding in her chest. Itachi leaned down to her level and held out his left hand towards her.

"Give me your wrists."

"What? No way!"

Itachi glared at her and she wondered where in the hell she got the confidence to back talk Itachi. His eyes slowly started to spin and her wrists quickly shot out in front of her. When his fingers brushed her skin a chill was sent down her spine. After all he had done to her he could still make her body react to him. Damn Uchiha's! She cursed silently to herself as she watched his fingers place themselves rather oddly on both of her wrists. Pointer and middle finger rested on the very sides of her wrist while his other fingers wrapped around her whole hand. What was he doing? He didn't even have to mumble a word, which surprised Sakura when she saw the black lines forming on her skin like a tattoo. Her heart stopped, they were damn chakra seals! Once he let go she quickly retracted her arms and scratched at the markings. Nothing happened. She then licked her fingers and rubbed viciously at the black markings. Still nothing happened. Her breathing had increased as she now realized she had no way of escape.

"Get up."

Itachi demanded, holding onto the rope and cloth again. Looking to the side of him she noticed he had left the door open.

"Don't, you won't get far if you try."

Her eyes turned back towards the man in front of her. He was dead right, again! Slowly she started to stand, her heart now empty. Itachi placed the cloth around her eyes and the rope tightly securing her wrists behind her back.

"Where are we going?"

No answer.

"You ready yet?"

It was Kisame's voice and she felt as a hand rested on her left shoulder. The presence of Itachi's body could be felt next to her right side as he guided her around.

"Here."

The sound of cloth rustling could be heard as Kisame seemed to hand something to Itachi. The weight of his hand left her shoulder as he reached out and she suddenly felt the bulky material of a cloak around her shoulders. His hand returned back to her shoulder and he led her out into the hall. As they walked, Sakura tried to mesmerize the path they had taken, but it was useless. Turn after turn, incline after decline, it was a complete maze! She felt the hand on her shoulder tighten and pull her to a stop. The soft tinkle of bells could be heard and she wondered where it was coming from. Fingers traced at the top of her neck and the bulky material of her cloak could be felt on her head now. Those fingers again moved to her shoulder and started to push her forward once more. A loud groan from a metal door was heard and the smell of rain hit Sakura's nose instantly. The pitter-patter of the droplets upon her cloak was loud. It must have been raining hard wherever they were.

As they walked through the rain Sakura's thoughts turned to the soft jingle of the bells. Surprisingly they could be heard over the loud rain, which was seriously putting a damper on Sakura's already annoyed mood.

"I think it's safe to take the cloth off now."

Kisame stated and Itachi pulled her to a halt. Her hood fell backwards and the rain quickly claimed her hair, soaking it within seconds. Thin fingers worked with ease at the knot behind her head, pulling the cloth away from her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that they were walking down a street, a desolate street, but a street through and through. So they must be in some sort of city? The next thing she noticed was the dark and ominous feeling the city seemed to put off. She seemed to cringe as she felt Itachi pull at her hood, covering her head from the pounding rain. After that, they continued on and Sakura couldn't help but gawk at everything around her. This place was weird. Something scurried across the street and disappeared into a gutter. Did anyone even live here?

"Hmm?"

She questioned as she squinted in the dark. Some cloaked figure was stopped on the side of the street. A person! Somebody to help her! Her mouth started to open, but Itachi's fingers tightened around her shoulder. If she spoke, he could make sure she never spoke again. Quickly her mouth snapped shut and she watched as they passed the unknown person and continued on out of the city. Even as they neared the outskirts the rain never let up.

"What country are we in?"

Sakura decided to break the silence, looking between the two men. She had finally figured out where the bells were. They both sported a funny looking straw hat, white strands of cloth hanging down the sides and a thread holding onto a couple bells.

"Now that would just ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it."

"Seriously, Kisame, it's not like I'm going to be able to just run back to Konoha and tell. I'm pretty confident that you will kill me once you get the desired information you want, am I right?"

"Hmm, you have a good point, kunoichi. However, I'm still not telling."

She could see the white flash of his pointy teeth grinning at her from behind the straw hat. Silence once again pressed upon the group as they walked. It was good to note that the farther they got from the city, the lighter the rain became.

"Where are the others?"

"Hmm, you sure are full of questions today, aren't you?"

"Well being a prisoner and suddenly being uprooted from said imprisonment kind of makes me wonder, so yeah."

Kisame let out a small chuckle, thinking about whether or not he wanted to answer her.

"We were the last to leave, so the others have already gotten a head start on us."

"I see, and where are we going?"

"Somewhere."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because, I don't have too."

"…Kisame?"

"Yes?"

"You are an awful road companion."

Kisame's booming laugh shook the air around Sakura and she could have _sworn_ she heard the Uchiha next to her let out a small, almost unnoticeable, chuckle.

By now Sakura's feet were aching. They had walked for Kami only knows how long. She remembered when they first started out it was dark in the city, and when they got further the light in the sky had turned a soft orange color, like the sun was rising. As they continued the sun had made its rounds in the sky and was now on the opposite side. A soft orange and purple color mixed in the sky as the sun was setting. They had walked ALL DAY!

"Let's stop here, Kisame."

Sakura looked towards the direction Itachi was looking. A small town stood off in the distance. There were definitely no shinobi in the city, Sakura could sense that and as they approached the villagers that still walked the streets gave them odd looks. Must be an odd sight to see any shinobi walking through here.

"We'll catch up with the others at the rendezvous point in the morning."

Sakura kept quiet as they strode through the town and came up to a small building. There was a beautiful pond out front with fish swimming peacefully in the water. A wind chime tinkled in the background adding to the serenity of the surroundings.

"Good evening, travelers."

The hostess's voice was a bit uneasy as she took in the look of her customers. She wanted no problems.

"We would like one room."

"What? One?"

Sakura squeaked and in return received a scowl from Itachi. She blushed and quickly looked away.

"One room for the night."

"Sure thing…"

The girl gave Sakura a look of sympathy before writing something in a book and handing Itachi a key.

"Enjoy your stay."

The Uchiha snatched the key up and walked down the hall to a wooden door. He unlocked it and Kisame pushed the girl in. Two clicks sounded behind Sakura. One confirming the door being shut and the other a lock being set into place.

"Well at least we got two beds."

Kisame walked over to one of them and seemingly kicked it, testing the sturdiness.

"I'll take this one."

It was the one nearest to the door. Obviously he would be there; in case she decided to bolt he could easily wake and stop her. Suddenly her eyes moved towards the last bed in the room. She hadn't slept in a bed since she had been captured. Oh how she wanted that bed! An evil thought came to her mind. Maybe she could trick Itachi into giving it to her? Put on some of her girlish charms? Turning to her side she looked up at the stoic male who was giving her a blank gaze in return. Heh…yeah good luck with that one. She could open up her blouse and show him all her goods and he probably would still be an emotionless slate.

"Well I'm going to get some food."

Kisame announced, tossing his straw hat upon his bed and unbuttoning the top part of his cloak for a more casual look. Itachi made a 'hnn' sound in response and Kisame left the room. Shit! She was alone with him now!

"Umm, may I have my wrists unbound now?"

Sakura muttered, wondering if now was a good time to ask. He nodded and turned her towards him. His hands worked at the buttons of her cloak. Fingers brushed slightly at the underside of her jaw and she had to quickly think of something else to stop the blush that was trying to form on her cheeks. The cloak fell to the ground with a soft thud and Itachi moved around her towards her back. He pulled out a kunai and sliced through the rope with ease. Sakura brought her wrists to the front and softly rubbed them.

"Thanks those were really—"

She was cut off as she turned around and noticed he still had the kunai in hand. The memories of the Tsukuyomi pressed hauntingly against her subconscious and she stumbled backwards, not noticing the hitch in her breathing. Itachi gave her a strange look before noticing the kunai still in his hand. Quickly he pocketed it back in the kunai pouch at his side. However, this didn't seem to ease the girl. She stared at him with wide emerald hues.

"Would you like to shower?"

His question brought Sakura back from those horrid thoughts and she stared at the male for a second. So he was going to let her shower here too? Her gaze moved towards the bathroom in the small room all of them shared and noticed how very small it was. Did he expect to be in there with her? Watching her like a hawk like when she showered at the Akatsuki headquarters. Well she had been walking all day, and the muscles in her legs really did hurt. A nice hot shower would do her good, and she wouldn't have to worry about wasting water here.

"…yeah, I guess."

Her eyes never left his as she slowly made her way into the bathroom. Holding onto the door, just about to shut it, she gave the Uchiha a questioning look. Wondering if he was going to follow her in. When he made no move to she shut the door softly and turned towards the shower. Finally! She would be able to wash in peace!

A full shower! She had taken at least thirty minutes, if not more under the beating pressure of the water. Kami did it feel great! Nobody pounded on the door to tell her to hurry up either. As she walked out she took her time drying off and getting dressed. She kept her shirt and shorts on, but picked up her boots, gloves, and skirt as she walked out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam trailing behind her.

"Sure did take long enough, you're food is getting cold."

Kisame remarked from the small table that was in the room. He had his cloak off and his feet were both on top of the table, one crossed over the other. In his hands was a pair of chopsticks and a bento box filled with what smelled like delicious food. Itachi was occupying the other chair. He too had his cloak off, but his feet were placed firmly on the ground. He set his chop sticks down and pushed the third bento box towards her. She walked over and picked it up. There were no chairs left so she decided to sit on the side of the other bed. Inside were sushi rolls, a side of veggies, and chicken. Sakura sniffed it. Garlic chicken even! Her mouth started to water as she broke her chopsticks and dug in. The only sounds in the room were that of chewing. Sakura observed her two captors. Kisame picked around his veggies, going straight for the chicken. Itachi casually ate some of each. She wondered if she should ask now and get it out of the way…

"Where shall I sleep tonight?"

There it was, out in the open! Both males stopped eating and turned to look at her.

"You are to take the extra bed."

Itachi said it almost like it was normal thing for her to take the bed. In all reality, she had expected him to take the bed and she would get the floor, shackled to something sturdy so she would not run. Yet, he was actually letting her take the bed.

"Oh, umm, thanks."

The words felt weird coming out of her mouth. Thanking Itachi Uchiha was never on her list of things to do before she died, or any list for that matter. Everyone continued eating and when all the food was gone, aside from Kisame's veggies, Itachi picked up the bento boxes and threw them away. Sakura had guessed he was a pretty clean guy and didn't like clutter.

"Well, I'll sleep first. Itachi you can take first watch."

"W-watch?"

Sakura sputtered out the words. How the hell was she supposed to sleep with a pair of Sharingan eyes staring at her all night? And then after that a pair of beady shark eyes looking down upon her like she was some sort of meal!

"You didn't think we'd just sleep peacefully while you snuck out of here, did you?"

Kisame chuckled as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it next to his bed. Sakura really couldn't help but gape at this man's body. From his neck up he looked anything but a man, more of a mutant than anything. But underneath he had a rock solid body, all muscle. He pulled back the sheets and settled in for the night, turning his back to her and seemingly falling asleep right then and there. Then her eyes turned to the Uchiha.

He was sitting in a comfortable looking chair, his leg crossed over the other and his gaze never breaking from hers. Seriously, she was supposed to sleep how?

"You better get some rest, we leave at dusk."

Great, they were early risers…

"Okay then…"

She got up and pulled back the sheets, looking over at Itachi once more before she climbed in. As she snuggled into the warm sheets she quickly pulled them all the way up to the bottom of her chin. For some reason she felt exposed. Like Itachi could see under the sheets. A few minutes passed and she was more awake than ever. Currently she was staring at the back of Kisame. He was breathing softly, obviously catching some much needed sleep like she wanted. Was he still watching? Carefully, as to try and not make a sound, she peeked over the side of her blankets. She was quite surprised to see that Itachi had been looking out the only window in the room. A full and bright white moon was sitting in the sky. She wondered what he was thinking, then the glowing red of his eyes glanced over towards her and she quickly looked away, embarrassed for peeking. More minutes passed and she still could not fall asleep. Her eyes strained, feeling dry and heavy. Kisame stirred and stretched. Was it time for his watch already? Sakura tightly closed her eyes to look like she was asleep.

"Eh, Itachi. You want to switch?"

"Are you well rested?"

"As I'll ever be. I'll take a shower real quick and we can switch."

"Hnn."

She could hear the bed strain against the heavy male as he got up and walked towards the bathroom, a soft click announcing he had gone in. She could somehow feel Itachi's presence move from the chair and walk in between the two beds. A few seconds of rustling and then there was silence once more. How long did it take him to fall asleep? Her eyes slowly opened to see if he was sleeping yet. Ahh, dammit! Those red eyes! He was lying on his side, his shirt disposed of and his eyes ever so watchful. Then, almost painfully slow, he closed his eyes. Oh good, finally. But wait, his eyes slowly opened again and instead of the glowing orbs of red, they were a dull obsidian. She gasped slightly. This had happened during her hallucination just last night. Was he real or was this another image? Under the sheets she pinched her hand and felt the pain. She was awake…hopefully.

"You need to sleep, Sakura."

His voice was quiet.

"I can't."

She whispered back, trying to hide under the sheets even more from his gaze. He sighed from her answer.

"Would you like me to _put _you to sleep?"

He had placed more emphasis on the put, meaning he could use his Sharingan and knock her out if need be. She definitely didn't want that. Her head shook at him.

"Then go to sleep, Sakura."

"I don't know if I can."

"What do you mean by that?"

_You hurt me and placed me in such a dark place that now I can't even tell reality from imaginary. _

She couldn't seem to speak the words, so she turned on her side facing the wall.

"Never mind, Itachi."

He never pressed her for an answer and after a few more minutes, Kisame had emerged from the bathroom and taken Itachi's spot in the chair. Escape was inevitable with these two. When they met up with the other Akatsuki members she was sure the serum would start again. There was no use in trying to fight anymore. Why bother? Nobody was looking for her, that much was clear. Silent tears lightly splashed upon the pillow she was laying on. She hadn't fallen asleep that night. Scared of both the images that haunted the dark corners of her mind and the male that had caused them only feet away from her. What she didn't know though was that Itachi too didn't sleep that night. His eyes were focused upon a certain girl so close in reach to him. He knew why she didn't sleep; he didn't need her to tell him, it was obvious. It also occurred to him that Deidara had helped her find peace last night, but he could do nothing. Surprisingly, the thought frustrated him to no end.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, so I hope nobody gets too confused by the layout of the story here. I think I did well enough with the hints and everything. Also, no, Itachi is NOT a pedobear. If any of you get that thought in your mind, stop it...just stop it! -/\-**_  
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**So Enjoy! And leave me reviews on what you thought of this chapter. I've been working pretty hard on this, even during work...shh!  
**

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_Flashback_

"Sasuke"

Itachi called out for his brother who was playing with the kids from his class. Said brother looked over his way, a smile lighting up his features. He quickly picked up his backpack and ran towards him.

"Nii-san!"

Itachi smiled lightly as he placed a welcoming hand atop his brother's head.

"Did you have fun today?"

"It was alright. We didn't learn much jutsu, mostly just reading."

His younger siblings face fell as he spoke of his day, obviously annoyed with the lecture part of the Academy. Itachi chuckled slightly and ruffled the hair of his brother, causing him to groan out in annoyance.

"Little brother, you cannot learn alone by just jutsu and techniques. You must strengthen your mind as well."

He extended two fingers and poked his brother in the forehead. Sasuke gasped and swatted his hand away, rubbing the spot.

"How come you always do that?"

Just as he was about to answer his brother a small voice called out.

"Sasuke-kun!"

A small girl with brilliantly bright pink hair came running up to his brother. She held a shy composure as she came to a stop. Then her eyes caught him and they shined. He was caught off guard as he stared into those emerald hues.

"Oh, hello Itachi-san!"

She greeted him with a small bow then returned her gaze back to his little brother. Her features became shy once more as she held out a pencil towards Sasuke.

"You let me borrow this, Sasuke-kun. I thought I should return it before you left."

"Oh, that's alright, Sakura-chan. You can keep it."

"Really? Oh, well thanks!"

She smiled at the younger Uchiha, a blush forming on the bridge of her nose as she turned and walked away from the brothers.

"Do you know her?"

"Yeah, she's in the same class that I'm in."

"I see…"

Itachi watched as the girl ran off to join her friends. She seemed to hold the pencil tightly between her hands, never wanting to let it go. Another girl came up beside her and seemingly asked about the pencil in her hand. She didn't answer, but a bush could be seen on her cheeks. It was cute, Itachi thought.

"She's kinda cute."

Sasuke gave him a strange look. His nose wrinkled slightly and he looked between Sakura and Itachi.

"I guess…"

Sasuke was still too young to be interested in girls, he just wanted to spend time with his brother and learn from him.

"Nii-san! Can you teach me a new move today?"

Sasuke had already pulled his thoughts away from Sakura and was tugging on Itachi's sleeve, trying to grab his attention. The older Uchiha looked down into the pleading eyes of his brother. He smiled and nodded.

"Sure, Sasuke."

The brothers carried on towards home but Itachi couldn't help but look back at the little pink headed girl. A soft smile upon his lips.

_End Flashback_

Itachi looked towards the girl in the bed, her pink hair splayed out behind her on the pillow. The top blanket had been kicked off at some point and currently she had the sheets tangled around her body. She had finally fallen asleep only moments ago, after having a rather restful night. Itachi and Kisame had been up for a while and Itachi had sent him out to get breakfast. It was mainly to stall them for a bit, he wanted Sakura to at least get a bit more sleep before they headed out. Dragging a tired kunoichi along would not be a good idea.

_Flashback_

After the massacre, Itachi had fled from Konoha. Even though the plan had been formulated by none other than the Konoha elders themselves, he had to keep up with the charade. He was to leave town and never return. People soon knew his name as the "murderer". The one who killed off the whole Uchiha clan and left his brother. It had hurt him deeply to do this, but it was for the village and he would do anything to protect his home and his brother. However, that did not mean he didn't check in on his brother in secret. He was a top skilled shinobi. Head of the ANBU black ops at the age of thirteen. So he was able to easily sneak around the village unseen. He watched as his brother slowly caved into himself. At first wondering why his older brother would do such a thing and then coming to hate him in the end. He was placed on a team with Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura. The same Sakura he knew from before. Her pink hair had grown out now and reached the middle of her back. She seemed to stick rather closely to Sasuke and kept knocking down the advances of the kyuubi kid. The girl seemed smart. What she lacked in physical prowess she made up with intelligence. That would work in her favor later down the road.

Another time he entered Konoha was when he was sent on a mission from the Leader of Akatsuki to capture Naruto. He didn't mean to run into his brother, but he also knew it was inevitable. The pure hatred Sasuke had for him, hurt him, but he never let that show. His younger sibling exclaimed that he was going to kill him, but he was still too weak. He needed to become stronger to one day fight off the coming evil he knew that was there. That is why he caught him in the Tsukuyomi. But before he had left town to track down Naruto in the neighboring city, he decided to pay a special visit to a pink haired kunoichi.

Itachi strode through Konoha with his partner Kisame next to him. He knew he was being tracked by Kakashi already and he needed to be rid of him.

"Kisame, why don't we stop for some tea and dango's before we carry out the mission? I'm rather hungry."

"Hmm, I was never one for sweets, but if you say so."

As they carried on through a rather thickly crowded street to the dango shop, Itachi created a shadow clone to follow Kisame while he went in another direction, easily distracting the Copy Nin that was trailing the two.

"Don't forget to take those sweets to Ino, Sakura!"

"I know mom, don't worry."

Sakura emerged from her house, a bundle in her hands. It seems she had cut her hair, sporting a short length just to the top of her shoulders. It suited her well, he thought. He started to wonder how her training had gone. If she had become stronger since he last saw her. The thoughts of this girl rolled around in his mind until he felt a disturbance from his shadow clone. Kisame must have been caught by Leaf shinobi. He needed to get back to help his partner. Just as he was about to leave, he watched the pink haired girl disappear around the bend and out of his sight.

_End Flashback_

The girl upon the bed stirred, flipping onto her back. Itachi had been rummaging around in his pack and he stopped in his actions as he watched her. She stretched out, her left hand disappearing under the pillow and her right hand above her head. Her long legs seemed to tangle into the blankets more. And her eyes closed tighter a groan emitting from her throat. What was she dreaming of? Was it of him? His brother? Her friends?

_Flashback_

"Don't go! If you go, I will scream out loud and…"

"Sakura…thank you."

Sakura stood there, motionless. Tears streamed down from her eyes, but she made no move to turn around. Sasuke then knocked her out, pinching that small space on her neck. Her eyes fluttered and then closed as she fell towards the ground. The male behind her caught her before she hit the ground, laying her down softly. His eyes lingered on her for a second before he continued out of the city.

Itachi had watched the whole thing play out. The confession, him turning her away, and then him knocking her out so she would not follow. His brows furrowed in agitation. The pain this girl felt, knowing she would lose the person she loved the most and confessing her love for him. Yet, it didn't phase him. He moved on.

He moved from the shadows, his eyes scanning the surroundings. It was late; nobody would be out at this time of night. His eyes then moved towards the girl upon the ground and he approached her carefully. Leaning down he observed her. She was passed out, breathing softly. Wet tear streaks still evident upon her cheeks. Itachi extended a hand towards her, pressing his thumb against her cheek and wiping them away.

_This girl…_

He picked her up in his arms, her head resting softly against his chest. She looked peaceful, but he knew better. His eyes scanned around once more, catching the sight of a bench nearby. Walking over to it he gently set her down. A small smile pulled at his lips as he moved a stray strand from her brow. He bent down and placed a small kiss upon her forehead and with that…he was gone.

_End Flashback_

How could she affect him so much? He didn't know anything about her, aside from the fact that she was formally on her brother's team. Yet, he couldn't keep his mind off her. After the night at the bench he had no reason to check in on her anymore. When he checked in on his brother she was there, that is why he saw her so much. But after that he knew not what happened to her. Yet, when he heard word that she had been captured and was imprisoned at the Akatsuki headquarters it peeked his interest once more. He tried to act indifferent to the situation. He would not let his past feelings interfere. That's before he got a look at her.

When he saw her in the cell he had noticed she had grown up so much more. Her body was long and fit. Her pink hair still short and shoulder length. And those eyes…those breathtaking emerald orbs.

Still, he tried to ignore her. Treating her like he would any other prisoner. Then she had to go and kiss him. He was more than surprised when he had felt her lips capture his own. They were soft, warm. His body reacted before his mind did, taking her in his arms and deepening the kiss. When she whispered his brother's name though, that made him come back to life. She was still deeply in love with his brother after all this time. That made him quickly pull away, leaving her there. At that time he promised he wouldn't let her affect him like that again.

When she tried to escape he was the first to take off after her. It wasn't hard to catch her, she knew nothing about the place and he quickly pinned her against the wall. The feeling of her underneath him, squirming against his body to get away. It was intoxicating. His lips brushed her cheek and then trailed across the outer ridge of her ear. The sound of her heart beating so fast could be heard from this position and he smirked. He wanted to test her strength. Turning her face he activated his Mangekyou and took her under his control.

Most people quickly fell into a state of delusion after the torture of his Tsukuyomi and ended up dying quickly. Either from lack of taking care of their human needs (eating, sleeping…) or just from suicide. Not being able to deal with the images anymore. However, this kunoichi was strong. Yes, she was stunned at first and she lost quite a bit of sleep, but she was able to mask her pain well. She put on a brave face when in front of Itachi, ignoring him when he asked what troubled her last night. She was fighting him and this interested him.

_This girl…_

Itachi placed the bag he was rummaging through upon the table softly and quietly approached the girl upon the bed. Her brows were furrowed and her body looked tense. She must be fighting the images from his Tsukuyomi. He reached out for her, his hand gently cupping her cheek. This seemed to calm the girl and she relaxed a sigh escaping her slightly open lips. His eyes never left those lips. Slowly he leaned down, his own lips hovering just above hers. He could feel the heat from her body mixing with his own. Ever so softly he brushed his lips across hers. But he caught himself before he went too far. Quickly he pulled back, his hand leaving her jaw slowly.

_This girl…was changing him._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: After making this chapter I really badly wanted to make dango. However, I have a feeling I'd screw it up somehow. I suck at cooking. I know, I'll just buy an Itachi so he can sniff out the dango for me. ^.^**

**P.S. Don't know if you saw but yuna2025 created another ItaSaku pic for me from chapter 9, Sakura's hallucination. Check it out on my profile. ;)  
**

**Enjoy!  
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The sound of water running slowly started to wake Sakura. She hadn't slept for long; it actually felt like she had just fallen asleep a couple minutes ago. Then again, her mind was filled with so many nightmares. I guess she should be lucky that she got any sleep at all. Her emerald orbs turned towards the window in the room and saw that it was still dark outside. Right, these guys were early risers. A door clicked open from her right and she watched as Kisame walked into the room, a paper bag in hand.

"Hmm? Finally awake, eh?"

He held out the paper bag in front of him as he walked further into the room.

"I've got breakfast. You better eat fast."

His eyes seemed to fall upon the door to the bathroom and he glared at it.

"I see Itachi became a lot more lenient. Taking a shower and leaving you alone out here."

This information seemed to peak Sakura's interest. He did leave her alone. What would have happened if she awoke and decided to run out? Damn! She missed her chance! At that point, the water turned off from the bathroom and Itachi emerged. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair was down. Sakura seemed to stare. In all her life she never thought she'd see Itachi…well like this!

"You seem to be pretty confident in yourself, Itachi. Leaving her all alone out here."

Itachi's eyes seemed to scan the girl. They were back to their normal Sharingan red and held an emotionless look to them. No, he wasn't worried at all that she would have left. This seemed to make Sakura fume on the inside. He's so arrogant!

"Well, either way. We need to be leaving soon. Leader won't be happy to know that we even stopped for the night."

The paper bag that Kisame was holding plopped upon the table. He pulled out three Styrofoam boxes and opened one for himself. His was filled with garlic chicken. Sakura could smell it all the way from where she was sitting. Itachi grabbed his next, opening it and reveling white balls covered in brownish syrup skewered on a stick. Dango? What kind of breakfast items were these? She really didn't want to know what her breakfast consisted of. Although she did need something to eat. Walking carefully over to the table she opened her box to see both garlic chicken and a stick of dango.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so I got you both."

"This isn't breakfast."

"Yes, but you aren't going to find any breakfast shops open at this time of the day."

Sakura looked towards Itachi for some sort of rebuttal. Possibly commanding her to quiet down and just eat. But he sat in the chair, his towel still wrapped perfectly around his waist. He popped the last of the dango on the stick in his mouth and slowly pulled the stick out, his eyes never breaking from hers. A shiver seemed to claim her body and she quickly pulled her gaze away. Whatever, might as well eat something. Sakura picked up her chopsticks and started in on the garlic chicken. She didn't touch the dango. It wasn't like she hated sweets; no she actually really liked dango. But eating something like that at this time of the day just wasn't probable. Maybe she can save it for the journey? By the time she was done eating, Itachi had already gotten dressed and both him and Kisame were fixing the last of their items to leave. Kisame pulled his large sword over his back and secured it. Itachi picked up the rope that was sitting on the table and approached her. Dammit, not this again. A sigh left her lips as she stood for him. It wasn't like she could really put up a fight. He turned her around and pulled her wrists to her back, securing them tightly. She felt the heavy material of her cloak being placed on her shoulders. Itachi then turned her back around and buttoned the cloak up.

"Are you're bindings too tight?"

"No."

What did he care anyways? Sakura tugged her wrists slightly to check for the tightness. They held her wrists secure enough so that she wouldn't be able to pull them out, but they weren't tight enough to leave a mark. She then watched as Itachi stood, his gaze moving towards her untouched dango. He reached out and popped the first dumpling in his mouth. What the hell?

"Hey! I was saving that!"

Sakura protested, pulling against her restraints on her wrists. Seriously, who the hell did he think he was eating her food? She fumed as he finished off the rest of the dumplings and threw the stick in the trash. His eyes then moved towards the girl. Her teeth were bared and she let out a small growl. This made the male smirk slightly, which in turn made her stare in awe. He never smirked, but her antics were something else.

"You either eat it, or it gets thrown away."

"What? That's stupid, what a waste of money."

Her face returned to its frustrated state and she huffed. A hand rested lightly on her left shoulder as she was once again lead by Itachi out the door. The trio walked down the hall, Itachi handing over the key quickly and walking out without another word. Sakura was happy to see that the skies were clear and the sun was starting to peak over the horizon. Not many villagers walked about, but the ones that did stared rather rudely. Some pointed, whispering to another next to them.

"Itachi…"

"I know, let's go."

Suddenly Sakura felt an arm wrap around her waist. She squeaked out, ready to protest, but the air was knocked out of her as she was hauled up onto Itachi's shoulder. Both the Akatsuki members quickly took off.

"I thought we got rid of them when we left the last hideout?"

"It seems they caught on to our trail."

"I told you we shouldn't have stopped!"

Kisame growled out as both the Akatsuki members leaped into the trees, nimbly dodging the brush around them. Sakura let out a groan as she bounced upon Itachi's shoulder. It definitely wasn't comfortable, but that wasn't her current worry. She was more interested in why the two males took off so quickly and who the hell they were talking about.

"Kisame, take the ones behind us. Two kilometers back to your left."

"Right."

The shark man grasped the handle of his sword, an evil smirk lighting up his features. As Itachi landed on a branch and took off, Kisame fell back; turning on his heel and taking off in the direction Itachi pointed him. Sakura watched from the point she was at. The large man disappeared behind a larger tree and not long after a thunderous crack could be heard as said tree came crashing to the ground. A flash of white was seen. It disappeared as quick as it appeared, but then another was seen just above. All of a sudden, Itachi stopped, and pressed his back against a large tree trunk as a flurry of kunai's came their way. He set Sakura down on the ground, his eyes now turning towards her. It seemed like he was trying to contemplate something in his mind. Well it didn't take him long to figure out what he was going to do, because next thing she noticed was his hands flashing quickly. Making the signs and then inhaling deeply he turned on his heel and blasted a large ball of fire at their pursuers. Sakura could feel the heat lick her cheeks. She closed her eyes and turned away from the flames as they blasted forth. A loud roar was heard from her right; Kisame's war cry as another tree came crashing to the ground. Someone gurgled, upon their blood? Sakura didn't want to think about that. Hands grasped at the collar of her cloak as she was pulled up from the ground. She flinched, but then saw it was just Itachi. He quickly picked her up again, slinging her over his shoulder and taking off.

"There are more than I expected!"

Out of nowhere Kisame seemed to materialize beside Itachi. The Uchiha took a look behind him and another flash of white appeared only feet away from them. This time Sakura was able to get a good look. Their white cloaks, red trim at the bottom, and characteristic animal masks. It was Konoha ANBU! Sakura started to squirm and felt Itachi's arm tighten against her body to hold her still. Tsunade didn't forget about her! The man right behind them started to quickly make hand seals. The trees around them groaned, bending in towards Itachi and Kisame.

"Yamato-sensei!"

Sakura screamed out for him. She started to struggle more against Itachi, but it was useless. They dropped down to the ground just as the top of the tress came in to cage them.

"Kisame."

"I know!"

A growl rippled from the shark man as he turned around, making hand seals. The air around Sakura felt heavy with humidity. The loud rush of water pounded against her ear drums as Kisame sent a wave towards Yamato. Itachi dodged another kunai sent his way. Once again they came to a stop and he had to set her down as he started to make hand seals. Sakura watched as he hurtled jutsu after jutsu at the ANBU member. His composure stayed completely cool and calm as he battled. She started to wonder how he could possibly be like that when she felt something slither up her calf and around her thigh and with a quick tug she was being dragged away in the underbrush.

"Ahh!"

She yelped as she looked down into the eyes of the snake. Yet, this was no ordinary snake. Where there should have been scales was an inky black. A hand reached out, grasping hold of her bicep.

"Sai?"

The male reached up with his other hand and removed his mask. He still had that fake smile upon his face even now.

"Hello, Sakura-chan."

"Sai! I never thought I'd be happy to see you! Where is Naruto?"

The question left her lips before she even had time to think about it. If Sai and Yamato were here then he had to be here too, right? But the male in front of her just shook his head.

"This was a secret mission set together by Tsunade-sama. Naruto was not to be told of his mission, due to Akatsuki involvement."

"Oh…"

"Quick, we need to move."

Sakura felt her chest tighten. She really wished Naruto was here right now, but she didn't have time to think about him right now. Sai was right, they needed to move.

"Wait, cut these ropes off. I'll be able to move faster."

Sai just nodded, pulling her cloak aside and pulling out a kunai, cutting through the ropes with ease. She rubbed at the skin, loving the feeling of being free.

"Let's go."

"Right!"

The two quickly leapt up and took off in the other direction of where she was dragged away from. She had no use of her chakra so she couldn't exactly keep up with Sai as he pressed on, chakra infused in his heels.

"Sai, wait up I can't—"

Her sentence cut off as a flash of black flickered in front of the two, Itachi's form taking shape. His eyes glowered, glaring down the male ANBU in front of him. Sai produced a kunai, ready to strike the Uchiha.

"Sai! Don't look—"

But it was too late. Her companion's body tensed, his eyes widening, pupils dilating. It wasn't the Tsukuyomi, no that would tire Itachi out too much; he wouldn't risk that right now. But it was a genjutsu. Quickly she started to move towards Sai, ready to knock him out of the genjutsu. Just as she was reaching out for him a hand grasped at the back of her cloak, pulling her back. She huffed out as she hit the large figure of the male behind her.

"I've got her, let's go!"

Kisame barked out, lifting her up on his shoulder. Sai fell to his knees, his eyes lulling.

"Noooo!"

Tears started to prick at Sakura's eyes. She was so close! So close to getting away! The image of Sai upon the ground started to fade as Kisame and Itachi took off. This just couldn't be happening! How could her luck be this bad?

"No…Sai…Yamato…"

The words left her lips as a whisper. Just like her escape…a whisper of a dream.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Well quick post before I left for work.**

**Enjoy!  
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The whole way Sakura threw a fit. Kicking and screaming, pounding on the back of the large male that held her, and throwing curses every which way. It was childish, yes, but she was beyond pissed right now. She was so close; she could almost taste her freedom. But of course, her captors would retrieve what they lost.

"I hate you all! So much! Especially you and your damn eyes!"

Sakura spit the words out at the Uchiha who was walking so calmly next to Kisame. She wanted to reach out and gouge those eyes out, anything to just be rid of them. They mocked her. Knowing she had zero escape while under their watchful gaze.

"Can I just chop off one limb, Itachi? Just to shut her up? I'll make sure to make a clean cut this time."

"Do not harm her, she must be untouched."

Sakura continued to seethe until her voice grew hoarse. When it had come to this point she was rather quiet. Propping her chin up with her hand, she watched as the scenery passed by. It was mostly dense underbrush and it was dark with little to no light peeking through the tops of the trees. The rest of the journey continued like this, until Sakura was about to start her tantrum again, but stopped short once Kisame spoke.

"How are we to finish our mission with this leech tied to us?"

"This jinchuriki is yours, Kisame. I shall stay and watch the girl while you capture him."

"You expect me to take that thing down on my own?"

"I expect nothing less from one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Hidden Mist."

"Hmmph. You sure are confident. But nonetheless, I shall prove you right."

Sakura could sense Kisame was smirking one of his large toothy grins. A compliment from Itachi Uchiha was never really a common thing. Was Itachi just trying to boost his ego more? Like he needed it…

"Well in that case. I better head towards the town. I don't want to keep my prey waiting."

The two men stopped. Kisame shrugged the girl off his shoulder which caught Sakura by surprise. She plopped to the ground with a huff, about to curse at the large shark man, but he gave a throaty chuckle at her and was gone. Great, now she was alone with him. Her eyes turned to fix upon the other male. She crossed her arms across her chest defiantly.

"Let me see your wrists."

"_Excuse me?"_

Her words came out bitter and cold. Talking to Itachi like this would easily get her killed, but she knew he couldn't kill her, he said so himself. They needed her for the information and that's why she was so brave right now. Seriously though, this was the last straw. He was just so damn frustrating, and so was Kisame! Damn men, all of them!

"I said; let me see your wrists."

"No!"

She sounded like a five year old; her nose was stuck up in the air. Asshole…

"I will use force if need be. Now I ask once more, let me see your wrists."

"Just try it, _Uchiha!_"

She dragged out his last name, testing him. Really, what would he do? Yeah, that's right, glare because that's all you can do! Sakura chuckled darkly in her mind. Then a gasp left her lips as hands grasped at her forearms, prying her hands free from across her chest.

"What the hell?"

She screeched out, trying to tug her arms back. His hands turned her arms to look at the wrists, but she lifted her foot, planting a heel upon his stomach to push him off.

"Get off me!"

A growl ripped from her throat as her muscles tightened, trying to rid herself of the male. A small poof sounded as the shadow clone disappeared in front of her. No way! That couldn't be possible! Arms snaked around her waist as she was stuck in her dazed state. They caught her left arm and pinned it to her side. Her teeth clenched and her right fist tightened, quickly releasing a punch over her shoulder, hoping to land upon Itachi. But he effectively caught her wrist with his other hand. Dammit!

"Sakura."

His breath was suddenly warm upon her neck. He was so close to her, she could smell him. A little like smoke and woods.

"Sakura, please…"

Her breath caught in her chest at the way he spoke her name, pleading her. She could feel as the tip of his nose brushed across the back of her ear, lips soon following. Her breath came out shaky as she exhaled. The feeling of his hand tightened across her waist, pulling her closer to his body. So warm…he was so very warm. Fingertips grazed across the exposed skin right where her shirt and skirt would meet. They ran across her hip bone, just barely dipping underneath the black material of her shorts. Her teeth dug into her lower lip, trying to suppress a moan wanting to escape.

"Will you let me see them?"

Before she knew what she was doing, her head nodded slowly. His arms started to release her body ever so carefully, allowing her to produce her wrists in front of her. _Don't let me go…_

"Good."

The warm feeling of him holding onto her left her in an instant. The scratchy feeling of bark pressing against her back brought her back to her senses. Sakura shook her head, blinking repeatedly as she looked around. A rope had been tied around her torso. That was what she felt when she thought Itachi was holding onto her. What the hell? He put her under genjutsu!

"You bastard!"

But it was too late; Itachi had taken use of her dazed state, his fingers leaving her wrists now. There were fresh black markings upon her milky skin. So that's what he wanted. He needed to refresh the chakra seals.

"Dammit! Itachi, screw you! You know what, I hate you! I can't wait for Sasuke to find you now! I hope he finds you and rips you to shreds, you asshole! I can't believe you would do that to me!"

The words were hurtful; they would make any normal person react without thought. However, Itachi stayed stoic throughout her tantrum. Did she mean the words? Maybe, maybe not. But right now she couldn't think, she was just too angry. How could he put her under a genjutsu and be so caressing to her?

"You are a disgrace to human kind! To the Uchiha name! Ahhhhh!"

She screamed out, her face growing red with rage. Wriggling against her bindings and kicking her feet out in all directions.

"It seems I missed something when I left."

Kisame emerged from the brush, setting a male body upon the forest floor with a thud. His eyes now trained upon the girl on the ground, squirming around furiously.

"Did you use the Tsukuyomi on here again?"

"No."

Both the males watched as the girl spit out angry words at the both of them now. It continued on for about two more minutes before she grew tired, her head pounding with an oncoming headache.

"Well, since you have her tied up, shall we contact Leader?"

Itachi didn't answer, his eyes still glued to the girl. It seemed like she was quietly sobbing, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"Yes."

He was finally able to pull his gaze away and turn to his partner. Kisame nodded, sitting down upon the ground, his partner following. They made the hand signs and closed their eyes.

"What took you so long?"

The monotone voice of the Leader was the first thing to reach the pair as their apparitions appeared before the rest of the Akatsuki clan. Everyone was there and staring at him now. His eyes moved over towards the pair of Rinnegan.

"We needed to stop."

"You need to stop worrying about the girl, Itachi."

The grey irises of Leader narrowed, now glaring at him. Itachi made no move to retort back.

"Do you still have her?"

"Yes, and it seems we ran into some Konoha trouble on the way."

Kisame was the one to answer this time, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"But don't worry, we took care of them."

"I hope so. We left the last hideout because they were trailing us. You better have covered your tracks well, Kisame."

"Hmhm, of course. I have also captured my jinchuriki on the way. We have him now."

"Good, we shall seal him when you reach the hideout. I do not wish for you to be out there any longer with Konoha ANBU close behind."

"Right, it may take a while."

"What do you mean?"

"Well while I was gone, Itachi must have done something rather…interesting to piss off the girl."

Piercing blue eyes suddenly shined with interest at this news and shot in his direction, but said nothing.

"She may be difficult to move."

"Take care of it, quickly."

"Of course."

The shark man gave another toothy grin before his body shivered and was gone. The bright blue eye of Deidara was now glaring at the red Sharingan. What did that Uchiha bastard do?

"Hnn…"

And then he too was gone.

Itachi's eyes opened, quickly moving to the position of the girl. She was still lying upon the ground, her eyes tired and puffy.

"Well we better get going. I don't want to explain to Leader why we were late…again."

Kisame huffed, picking up his jinchuriki with the end of his sword and lifting him. The man groaned out, still conscious, but not awake.

"You should really take better care of your captive, Kisame."

"Hmmph, what does it matter? He'll be dead in a few hours anyways."

Itachi had nothing to say to this, instead he walked towards Sakura. She seemed like she didn't want to move, her eyes were trained upon some open space in front of her, not even regarding him as he approached. Before they had contacted Leader, Itachi made sure to secure her arms with the rope as well. He didn't need her trying to get loose. He would have to carry her if she didn't get up.

"Will you walk?"

She said nothing, her eyes still straight ahead. Looking at him would just cause more anger to rise within her, and she was too tired to put up a fight right now. Arms started to snake underneath her, lifting her up and cradling her to a chest. It was Itachi, she already knew it. Her face was emotionless, her eyes starting at the small amount of skin exposed from under his cloak. A particular necklace took her interest. Three silver rings captured on a black string. Did they symbolize something? She became transfixed upon the idea of his necklace, never truly wanting to lift her gaze and stare into those Sharingan eyes. She then started to wonder if Itachi would speak, possibly apologize to her. Of course not though, he was Itachi Uchiha after all. Her head rested lightly against his chest, the dull thud of his heart pounding against her ear. She felt empty, like her very soul had given up by now. What would be the point of trying to run anymore? This man, he would always find her, no matter where she ran.

"I'm going to take him to Leader, what are you going to do with her?"

"I shall take her to get some rest."

"Hmmph, Leader was right, Itachi. You care too much. Why is it you worry about that girl?"

His eyes moved down towards the pink haired girl within his arms. She reminded him so much of his younger brother. So innocent and pure. But he would never admit that to Kisame. No, he didn't answer his partner. Who seemed to sigh and carry on down the hall.

Sakura didn't take notice that they had entered the new complex. She didn't care anymore. The words the two spoke were mere ramblings, mumbles that she could not catch and distinguish. Her mind was elsewhere, back home. Back to her warm bed. Back to Tsunade, Naruto, and all her friends. _I'm so sorry, Naruto. I wish I could have seen you one last time._

Itachi had entered his room. He did not know where Leader wished to keep her so this would have to do for now. His room at this particular hideout was a lot different. A bed was pressed against the left wall; a lamp sitting upon a bedside table dimly lit the small room. Although it wasn't entirely necessary as there was a window positioned in the middle of the far wall, letting in the soft light from the moon that had poked into the sky since their journey. It was a plain room, only adorned with a desk placed upon the right wall, stacked with many different scrolls. A comfy looking chair sat in the right corner as well, hidden within the shadows of the dark. As he made his way in further, the girl started to stir, her eyes breaking from their current position to take in the room.

"Do you wish to change?"

His question spooked her from the silence that had consumed the two. It was strange hearing his voice, so calm and quiet. The question seemed to bounce around in her mind. Change? Her eyes finally pulled from where she had been staring at the bed and looked up into Itachi's eyes. The once deadly Sharingan red was now dull obsidian. Did he do this to calm her, to comfort her? It was too late; she felt nothing for this man anymore. For anyone.

"Are you going to start the serum again?"

Instead of answering his question, she counteracted with her own. There was no way to get out of this anymore. They would take precautions so that she would not cause problems like when she bit her tongue. No, this time they would get the information and then dispose of her. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it.

"Yes."

The answer seemed to deepen the hole of emptiness in her. So that was it. They would most likely get their information tomorrow and her life would end. Simple as that, right? When it seemed like the both of them had nothing more to say Itachi approached his bed and set the kunoichi down. Her eyes gazed up at the ceiling as he removed her cloak, and cut the ropes that were around her. She made no movement to get up or run. Itachi stood there for a second, waiting for who knows what before he started to turn away from her. Her hand shot out quickly and grasped hold of the sleeve of his cloak. He looked over his shoulder at the girl. She was sitting up now, her head bowed down and her arm outstretched, connected to his cloak.

"Please tell me something…"

Her head started to turn towards him, those soft emerald orbs now gazing upon him. They held so much pain and sorrow within them.

"The information your organization is seeking…it's to finally get Naruto, isn't it?"

He didn't seem to answer for a while, his eyes studying her for a minute.

"It will aid us, yes."

"I see, well I just have one thing to ask of you, before you most likely kill me tomorrow."

This kunoichi…she expected to die after they extracted the information from her? His brows started to furrow slightly at her request.

"I know Naruto is your jinchuriki, and if you could, would you tell him that I love him? I only say this because I know you will see him, and I know you will be able to keep him calm while telling him this. Also, Sasuke. Would you tell him that he's been truly missed? Will you tell him that both I and Naruto just wish for him to return home? I loved him, a long time ago. But now…now he is just a missing friend, Naruto's best friend. I just want to see Naruto happy again. Please, will you do this for me?"

Itachi's eyes slightly widened at this girl's request. She wished for him to pass on her dying will. His eyes closed slowly as he processed this information.

"Please, Itachi. I know deep down within you that there is still some good."

His eyes shot open then and he looked at the girl upon the bed with slight bewilderment. Good within him? Did she truly believe that? But why?

"Please."

Those soft eyes of her were now starting to brim with new tears. Pleading, begging him to do this one small favor. Slowly he started to move in towards her and her body tensed in return. The soft touch of his lips connecting with her forehead made her eyes widen in confusion, her mouth opening slightly to question him, but he cut her off.

"I shall give you my answer tomorrow."

"But—"

She couldn't answer back to him, for he pulled free of her grip and was now walking out the door. The soft click of the latch moving into place announced his leave. What did he mean tomorrow? And why did he kiss her forehead? Her fingers moved up to brush the space his lips once occupied. So many questions now filled her head. She doubted she would get any sleep tonight.


End file.
